


Five Nights: Hide and Seek

by ProngsPotter22



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Blood and Gore, Explicit Language, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mystery, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Order of the Phoenix, Remus Lupin Lives, Sirius Black Lives, Voldemort's dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2018-09-19 11:11:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 73,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9437510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProngsPotter22/pseuds/ProngsPotter22
Summary: Harry needs a summer job or faces life on the streets these school holidays. The only place where he can get a job is Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Will he be able to survive five nights or be  yet another victim of the restaurant's murderous animatronics?





	1. Prologue - A Summer Job

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! So, this is a test chapter for my new story idea. If enough people are interested I will continue this. I thought I would post it and see how it goes. Also, please read the end notes as they are important. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

** Prologue – A Summer Job **

4th July - Harry

 

Harry strolled down the footpath past cafes, clothing stores, small restaurants, the local butcher and an old bookshop. He glanced in the window of each building, looking for any ‘Help Wanted’ signs or job advertisements with no luck. Huffing in frustration, he moved along to the last building on the street, a small French style coffee shop, before turning the corner and preparing to repeat the process on the next street.

 

It was one week into the holidays after Harry’s fifth year. Voldemort had been defeated in the Department of Mysterious and things were finally starting to go back to normal in the Wizarding World. The Death Eaters were being rounded up and put on trial by an unbiased and fair jury instead of the Wizengamot. Cornelius Fudge had stepped down as Minister and after much debate Kingsley Shacklebolt was elected the acting Minister until a formal vote could be organised. People, although stunned and outraged that Voldemort had been back a whole year and the Ministry did nothing about it, were pleased that they would not be facing more years of war. Celebrations had taken place across the country and a national holiday had been declared to remember the day He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had been defeated for good.

 

The most significant change for Harry though was the capture of Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black’s freedom. Soon he would be going to live with his godfather, like he had hoped he would back at the end of his third year. They were going to find a house in the countryside with a large property. Perhaps it would be close to the forest so they could help Remus on the full moon.

 

Harry had been taught to become an animagus by Sirius during his fourth year. He could turn into a silver and white wolf with striking green eyes and a dark grey, lightning bolt shaped patch of fur on his forehead. He was nicknamed Thunder for now until Sirius could think of a new name. Remus hadn’t been happy about it at first but he eventually came around. Now the three of them spent the full moons together. Harry looked forward to those nights even though Ron and Hermione, his two best friends, could not join them yet. Ron was still learning to shift and Hermione, after a long and frustrating argument about law-breaking and the dangers of becoming an animagus, had only just begun the process.

 

All that aside, Harry was very excited to finally move out of Privet Drive and away from the Dursley’s. However, he had to wait a little longer then he initially thought he would. Sirius had been hurt during the battle in the Department of Mysterious. He was recovering just fine but he wouldn’t be out of St. Mungo’s for two more weeks. Then he would need to find a house and set things up before Harry moved in. It was disappointing but Harry had waited this long, he could last a little while longer.

 

It was this that brought us to where Harry is now. The Dursley’s had not taken too kindly to having their nephew back after the incident last summer and decided if he were to stay he needed to earn his keep. In other words, he needed a job.

 

Of course Harry was a very wealthy wizard and could easily pay rent each week but they wanted all parts of the deal that came with a summer job; money, Harry out of the house most of the time and, most importantly, Harry to be miserable. They told him if he didn’t get a job by the end of the week, it was the street. Today was Thursday.

 

Harry increased his pace as he passed more places that either weren’t hiring, didn’t catch his interest or both. Finally he spotted a larger building towards the end of the road. The parking lot was full of cars and as he approached he read the name of the seemingly well-off establishment: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.

 

Harry had seen this place many times on his way to St Grogory’s Primary School. He knew Dudley had been here once or twice for a birthday party but of course Harry never got to go. He knew they had some sort of robots or something that performed for the kids. He wasn’t so sure. Maybe they were just people in mascot costumes? He shook his head and walked over to the door.

 

Just next to the entrance, sticky-taped to the wall, was a job advertisement. It stated that they were in need of a few new employees for various jobs. The section at the bottom was the longest, detailing the description for the job of a night guard. Harry wasn’t sure why they would need a night guard at a kid’s pizza place but figured it didn’t matter much.

 

Even through the door he could hear the muffled sounds of children’s delighted screams and laughs along with what sounded like some children’s song playing. Harry sighed. He had no issue with kids but he really was hoping for a place that could offer a little peace and quite. He didn’t get much of that in a house also occupied by Dudley Dursley.

 

Pushing the door open, he stepped inside and strolled over to the counter, telling the staff at the front desk he was interested in applying for a job. However, had Harry read the advertisement properly he may have reconsidered applying here.

 

Harry looked around the room while he waited for the receptionist, Tracy, to fetch the manager. She had blonde hair, pale skin and deep blue eyes. She was fairly short but had a bold, spunky attitude from what he saw.

 

Harry was applying for all the jobs in general. One was a receptionist job, the others were wait staff, a cook and of course the night guard position. He wasn’t too fussed on which he got. He was sure the Dursley’s wouldn’t be happy about him having a night-time job since he would be in the house during the day but he couldn’t care less. _They want me to have a job, well they can deal with what I pick._

Harry scanned the area with interest. The front desk area was fairly bland compared to the rest of the restaurant. The floor was white as were the walls. However, the walls had a strip of red going around about hallway up with two rows of black and white check in the middle. There were two black, two seater sofas for people waiting to be seen to with a black coffee table between them covered in a mixture of magazines and children’s activity books. The front desk its self was wood painted black with some pamphlets advertising special offers and upcoming events.

 

To the right was a door behind the desk leading to what he assumed was a supply closet or staffroom of some kind judging by the sign saying ‘Staff Only’. To the left was an open archway leading to the dining area. It appeared to be where all the noise was coming from. Glancing in while he waited he took note of the area. The tiles in here where red and blue while the walls were the same colour as the entry. However, it was somewhat difficult to tell since they were covered in posters of the mascot characters, fake pizza slices and children’s drawings.

 

The dining room was furnished with six long tables set up for parties with roughly ten chairs per table. The tables have white tablecloths with confetti patterns on them and the black chairs also have matching confetti patterns. He could see a gold star on the back of each chair as well. There were different coloured party hats scattered over the tables here and there but most were missing right now. The room was packed with people as it was only two in the afternoon. Children where running about the room or sitting at tables eating, what Harry had to admit, looked like very delicious pizzas.

 

Parents congregated at the tables to the right of the entryway, which would be considered the back of the dining area, chatting to each other or keeping a watchful eye on their kids. Behind them, on either side of the large room where two hallways leading off to what Harry assumed must be restrooms and possibly the kitchen? There was another open archway leading off from the left of where he stood, at the front of the room then, that he assumed lead to a concert area or dance floor judging by the very loud music.

 

Further along the wall from where Harry stood in the entry he could make out another door. Craning his neck he just made out a sign which read “Backstage: Staff Only. Do Not Enter.” The door was locked at the moment as the location was still full of people from the midday rush. Harry stared at the door for a few seconds. He wasn’t sure what it was but something about that room just gave him the chills.

 

To his right along the same wall a smaller archway lead off to what appeared to be a smaller entertainment area. Glancing at the sign above the archway Harry saw that the room was called Pirate’s Cove. However, a standing sign in the middle of the floor there stated it was closed.

 

Directly across from Harry he saw one more door leading off from the room. This one was a swinging door, easy to push open. It was located closer to the back of the room where the parents were. It appeared to be the kitchen. _Ah, so if that is the kitchen where do the hallways at the back lead?_ Toward the front of the room he spotted the bathrooms leading off from the same wall.

 

Harry glanced back at the two hallways. _They must lead to the security guard’s office then, probably the manager’s as well._ There was probably a sign on the back wall stating so but Harry couldn’t see it from his position.

 

Harry turned away from the dining area when he heard someone come in behind him. It was a man dressed in black slacks, a purple button up shirt with the Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza logo on the breast pocket, a black tie, black shoes and a purple cap with the word ‘SECURITY’ written across it in bold, black letters. Harry spied a nametag on his shirt that said the guys name is ‘Scott Cawthon’.

 

Scott had dark brown, short hair, light blue eyes, creamy white skin and had a scar across his left cheek. He was just a little bit taller then Harry, but not by much, and seemed slightly nervous. Harry frowned in slight concern and was about to ask the guy if he was okay when Tracy came back in with the manager in tow.

 

“Cawthon? There you are! Where have you been? You were supposed to be here an hour ago! I know its your last week but that’s no excuse for slacking!” the manager snarled.

 

Scott flinched back slighting from the raised voice and mumbled something about ‘sleeping late’ and a ‘bad night last night’.

 

Harry was startled by the man’s harsh treatment of the security guard. The manager was a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair, a round belly, beady brown eyes, a grey moustache and tan skin. He was wearing a white button-up shirt, purple tie and black slacks and shoes. He too wore a nametag stating his name: Bruce Davis.

 

Tracy glanced nervously at Harry and cleared her throat. “Uh, sir? This young man is here for an interview…?” She stated anxiously, flicking her blonde hair back over her shoulder. Harry was surprised by the sudden change in her behaviour. Something was going on here.

 

Davis glanced at Harry in shock. Apparently he had forgotten he was there. “Ah, right, yes. Cawthon, go to the Security Office and I’ll meet you there in a bit to discuss your….concerns.”

 

Cawthon glanced at Harry, giving him a weak smile, before taking off into the dining area and disappearing out of sight.

 

Davis turned to Harry and gave him a very uncomfortable looking smile. “Ah, yes, sorry ‘bout that. Cawthon’s been all over the place this week. Poor fella. So, you’re here to apply for a job?”

 

Harry nodded warily. He was getting the impression this had not been the best idea.

 

Davis grinned. “Excellent! Follow me, follow me. We’ll head to my office and talk, Mr….?”

 

“Potter.”

 

“Mr Potter. Right, well let’s go.” Davis declared. He spun round and ambled into the dining area. Harry dipped his head in thanks to Tracy and followed Davis.

 

Once they entered the dining room Harry was able to get a closer look at things. The archway at the front of the dining room did indeed lead to a reasonable sized open space for dancing. At the far end of the room was a giant stage with three robotic animals dancing and signing for the crowd of kids gathered at the base.

 

To the right was a violet rabbit with magenta eyes and a red bowtie. He was holding a red and white electric guitar, which he appeared to be playing. To the left was a yellow…..duck? chicken?.....with an orange beak and feet. Its eyes were the exact same colour as the rabbits. It was wearing a white bib with a confetti pattern that had the words ‘Let’s Eat!!!’ written across it in bold yellow letters outlined in purple. It was carrying a tray in its left hand with a cupcake on top. The cupcake had yellow eyes, buck teeth, pink frosting and a yellow and white candle. It honestly gave Harry the creeps. In the centre was who Harry assumed must be Freddy Fazbear himself. He was a brown-furred bear with a black top hate and bowtie, light blue eyes and a microphone in his right hand.

 

The stage was wooden and the wall behind them was the same as the others, although covered in decorations that looked like clouds and stars. A purple curtain covered in silver stars and crescent moons hung open on each side.

 

As he followed Davis to the back of the room he spotted a sign above the hall to the left stating ‘Manager’s Office’ and one next to the hall to the right stating ‘Security Office’.

 

Davis stopped and pointed to both hallways in turn. “Both hallways lead down to the security office really but you can only access my office from the east hall.” He explained, pointing to the hallway on the left. Harry nodded his understanding as Davis continued. “The west hall also has a supply closet in case you ever need it.”

 

Before Harry could respond Davis took off down the east hall. Harry quickly scrambled after him. About halfway down on the left was a door labelled ‘Manager’s Office”. It was too dark to properly see the end of the hall but Harry did notice light coming from the right hand side right at the end. Davis pushed open the door to his office and gestured for Harry to come in.

 

The manager’s office had beige carpet with creamy white walls. The desk was made of a light brown wood with a high-backed black wheelie chair behind it. In front stood two chairs for visitors.

On the desk where standard office supplies and a computer. Along the back wall stood a printer, photocopier and filing cabinet. There was also a window, about the only one in the place except for the entry. The sidewalls had several photo frames containing certificates, newspaper clippings and photos of the robot animals including two he had never seen before; a golden bear and rabbit.

 

Davis waddled round the desk to his chair and sat down with a thud. “Please have a seat Mr Potter.” He stated, gesturing to the two chairs.

 

Harry quickly sat down and waited for the manager to speak.

 

“So, what position where you applying for Mr Potter?” Davis began.

 

Harry shuffled slightly before speaking. “Uh, anything really sir. I’m not fussy. I just really need a job right now so…” he explained before trailing off in slight embarrassment. _Merlin Harry, could you sound more desperate and pathetic?_

 

Davis’ eyes seem to light up at that. Harry shuffled uneasily. He really got a bad feeling from this guy. “Any job huh? Well, do you have a resume with you at all?”

 

Harry nodded and pulled out the resume his Aunt helped him prepare. She hadn’t been happy about it but wanted him out of the house desperately enough to take a few minutes out of her day to put it together. It didn’t say much at all and was fairly vague; stating he went to a private school far away with such an under-advertised name no one would question it or bother to check. As for skills she listed off some things like good English and writing skills, decent cook, gardening skills and some other vague things like team worker, ect.

 

It was mostly bullshit what she wrote down but Harry just went with it. What was he going to say? Well, I can turn into a wolf. That’s a neat skill. Oh, I’m also excellent at Defence Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration! And you really should see me fly on a broom! Achievements? Well, I killed a dark lord and am the youngest seeker in a century. Do those count? The guy would think he was nuts.

 

The manager scanned his resume silently for a minute before putting it down and turning back to face Harry. “Well, I’m afraid your skills don’t really meet up to most of our current available positions’ requirements. Even the job as a cook required at least some form of formal study or experience in a restaurant…”

 

Harry forced a neutral expression onto his face. He could have sworn the advertisement for a cook said no such thing. He may not be a very skilled cook, in fact he despised cooking, but how hard was it to cook a pizza? Even he could do that. He needed the job, even if the place had a very weird vibe and the manager was an absolute creep. If he wasn’t wanted though he would just need to look somewhere else. He still had time to find something by tonight…

 

“However, you seem suited enough to one of our jobs.” Davis continued, attempting to make it look like he could care less if Harry took it or not.

 

Harry’s head shot up. “Really? Which one?”

 

“The night guard position.” He announced in a decidedly eerie tone.

 

Harry was surprised. He wasn’t really sure he wanted the job, not if it was going to really screw up his sleeping pattern. He wasn’t sure the Dursley’s would be impressed either. However, there was no guarantee he would get hired anywhere else with a crappy resume like that….

 

“You start next week. Be here at 11pm and I’ll give you a proper tour, your uniform and walk you through your job requirements. Don’t worry too much though, it’s pretty simple.” Davis instructed far to jovially now for Harry’s liking. He wondered if the guy was bipolar…

 

“What? That’s it? No questions or call backs or…” Harry replied in surprise. Didn’t places usually take longer to decide? It was half the reason Harry had been worried about how he could get a job by the end of the week.

 

“Nope, that’s it. So, do you want the job or not kid?” Davis asked, stretching out his hand.

 

Harry hesitated for a split second before reaching out and shaking the guys hand. _How hard could the job possibly be?_

 

“Then welcome to the Fazbear family kid. Your in for a long and exciting journey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so that’s the end of the prologue. Not too much here about Harry’s character I know. Its mostly just setting the scene, describing the location and introducing some new characters. In any case I hope you enjoyed it. So, should I continue?
> 
> If I do this story can go two ways. Let me know which you prefer.
> 
> 1\. The story follows Harry’s journey at Freddy’s.  
> 2\. Harry goes missing while working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. Its up to Remus and Sirius, with possibly some help from Ron and Hermione, to discover where Harry went. Whether Harry lives, dies or becomes an animatronic will have to be seen. 
> 
> For all those who read Carlisle’s Secret: The Lost Cullen, this is option 3 from the voting. I will still look at doing some more of the stories but wished to give this a go. I’m also currently working on option 6 so keep an eye out for that story very soon. 
> 
> If the description of the restaurant’s layout was slightly confusing it’s basically the same as it is on the map in game one but with the kitchen having moved to the adjacent wall.


	2. Chapter 1 - Tick Tock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has read this story! I’m glad you are all enjoying it so far. Hopefully you will like this chapter!
> 
> As for the direction this story will take I decided to do a combination of options one and two. The story will follow Sirius and Remus searching for a missing Harry but will also involve flashbacks to Harry’s time working at Freddy’s. At this stage every second chapter will be a flashback to Harry while the rest will be set in the present day with Sirius and/or Remus.
> 
> Anyway, let’s get to the chapter!

** Chapter 1 - Tick Tock **

16th-17th July - Sirius

 

Sirius Black was not a happy man right now. In fact, he was positive that if he still had his wand his Healer would be seriously regretting coming to work today.

 

He had been stuck in this same hospital room for five weeks now, even though he was positive he could have gone home two weeks ago despite what they insisted. There was nothing to do in here except read the bullshit The Daily Prophet was writing, most of it about his godson or himself mind you, and play chess with Moony whenever he showed up for a visit. It was driving him crazy.

 

He was supposed to have been leaving today but the healer now said he had to wait until tomorrow. Something about a ’24 hour observation period before discharge’. Sirius was not impressed. _Observation period? What have they been doing for the last few weeks?_

 

If it wasn’t bad enough being stuck in a hospital room all day, the fact he hadn’t heard from his godson in a while just made it worse. Hedwig brought him a letter almost three weeks ago from Harry telling him about how he needed a summer job. Sirius had been furious reading about how the Dursley’s wanted to make their almost-sixteen year old nephew pay rent and ordered him to get a job or get out. He had made a mental note to pay them a visit once he was out of here.

 

He then received another letter just under a week later telling him that Harry found a job as a night guard at a local kids pizza place. Sirius was confused to say the least as to why a kid’s pizza place would need security but shrugged it off. Muggles were strange people after all. The letter also stated that Harry would have started the job last Monday. It was now the following Tuesday and he only received one more owl last week.

 

That letter in particular had been quite concerning. Harry had seemed very off when he wrote it. The words that were meant to sound reassuring had seemed so empty and cold. Harry had tried to tell him that he was fine and that the job was going well but Sirius was still convinced that something was not right. He told Harry to write him back straight away and tell him the truth. That letter left last Thursday and he hadn’t received anything back yet.

 

It was for this reason that Sirius Black wanted to get out of here right away. He needed to find his pup and make sure that he was alright. However, his Healer had just told him, for the fifteenth time in an hour but who was really counting?, that he was not leaving till morning.

 

Healer Kenneth Starling was the one left in charge of Sirius Black’s care. The wizard reminded Sirius unsettlingly of Wormtail when they had been in school. He was jittery and nervous, stuttering over his words and flying through his check ups as quickly as he could so he could leave. Sirius found it very unprofessional and agitating. He wasn’t sure if the guy was always like this or if it just had to do with him though he was pretty sure it was the latter. It had to be a bit freaky having an ex-fugitive as a patient. Still, he _had_ been cleared of all charges.

 

Sirius’ agitation must have shown because Healer Starling quickly muttered something about another patient he needed to see and scampered out of the room. Sirius snorted at the man’s behaviour. How he was allowed to work here was beyond him.

 

With the room finally void of anyone but himself, the marauder settled back in the bed and glared daggers into the ceiling. He could not relax, even though he knew sleeping would allow him to pass the time much quicker. He just could not shake the feeling something bad was happening.

 

He tore his gaze off the white tiled roof and glanced at the clock on the wall. 8:03pm. He wouldn’t be allowed to sign out tomorrow until 10am. That was over 12 hours away. Sirius’ feeling of unease rose higher and with it came the anger. The clock on the wall seemed frozen in time, the second hand taking what felt like years to move. However, the unbearable ticking could not be ignored.

 

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

 

The sound was seriously getting on his nerves. It was taunting him, reminding him constantly of how much time he was wasting here when he could be out looking for his pup.

 

_Tick. Tock._

 

Sirius rolled onto his side, turning his back on the infuriating noise and watched the hallway through the window in the door. Healers passed by now and again; some rushing to a patient in need, others leisurely strolling along doing their rounds. Every now and again a patient could be seen, usually with a Healer. Some had bandages covering the odd wound, others were moving sluggishly from sickness.

 

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

 

After a few more minutes of staring impassively at the passers-by, he finally grew bored with that as well. Rolling onto his back he pushed himself up and reached over to the dresser next to the bed. He tugged open a draw and pulled out the last letter Harry wrote him.

 

He read his godson’s letter for what had to be the hundredth time over despite knowing it off by heart. His eyes tamed on his pup’s familiar messy scrawl, determined to find some clue as to what was going on. However, just like every time before, nothing came to mind.

 

Sirius,

 

I’m fine. The new jobs alright. Not really my kind of work but there’s not much I can do about that now. How are you doing? Have they told you when you can leave yet?

 

Talk to you soon,

Harry

 

Sirius sighed, dropping the scrap of parchment on the sheets. Harry had been careful when writing the small letter. There was nothing there to indicate what was wrong. Was he in real trouble or was it simply a matter of being stuck with a crappy job? Was it an issue with a co-worker or was he lying injured somewhere with no one there to help?

 

Remus thought he was being too paranoid, even if he was clearly also worried about Harry’s lack of a reply. Sirius knew he wasn’t over-reacting though. The letter screamed _wrong!_ Harry was never one to write such a short response like that. In a normal case he would have wrote heaps on his new job and told him about some of the stupid things his cousin had done. However, Harry had been quick to avoid the topic of work. _Far too quick._ Not to mention the complete and utter lack of emotion in the short, hasty sentences.

 

Then there was the writing itself. Harry wasn’t the neatest writer however his writing in this particular letter was so untidy Sirius wondered if Harry was even fully awake when he wrote it. It wasn’t easy to read and it had taken Sirius about fifteen minutes to figure out what in the name of Merlin it had said.

 

One could argue Harry was simply in a rush to get somewhere and hadn’t had the time to write a detailed, legible reply. However, the biggest indicator of trouble lay in the first and last words.

 

Sirius.

 

Harry.

 

His godson never referred to them by their actual names in a letter. It was partially due to the former need for secrecy in the event the owl carrying the letter was intercepted. Now, however, it mostly came down to fun. It was nice to have their own little secret. It was symbolic of a connection they had as godfather and godson. It was also a form of remembrance of Harry’s father and Sirius’ best friend, James or ‘Prongs’. It was important to them and not something Harry would disregard.

 

To see Sirius written there instead of Padfoot, or Snuffles if Harry was feeling particularly cheeky, was a red flag right off the bat. When the letter ended with Harry instead of Thunder Sirius was left with no doubt.

 

_Tick. Tock._

 

Sirius snarled in aggravation. Casting another look at the clock he noticed the time. 11:27pm. He blinked in surprise. _I must have zoned out there more then I realised_ he thought. Staring out into the hallway he noticed that the torches had been dimmed and there was no one outside.

 

Sirius didn’t have to think about his decision very much. Remus would be pissed off no doubt but he would come around. He always did. Harry needed him and he would not fail his pup again.

 

_Tick. Tock._

 

Sirius sprung off the bed and checked the hall. Empty. Spinning round he quickly changed out of his hospital robes and into his jeans, black t-shirt, black boots and brown jacket. Grabbing his godson’s letters from the draw and the lone one still on the bed, the book Remus lent him to read (which remained untouched despite how bored he felt) and the picture Harry had sent him of the two of them and Remus taken during the Triwizard Tournament; he determined that nothing was left behind and prepared to leave. He would sneak out as Padfoot, retrieve his wand from the office they had taken it to after he threatened to hex the next Healer that told him he could not go yet, and find his godson.

 

_I’m coming Harry. Just hang on._

 

The next morning when Healer Starling went to do the final check-up on Sirius and give him the release papers to sign, he discovered an empty room and a smashed clock on the floor, barely working.

 

_Tiiiick..toooockkk…..t-tick…..toooooooock……….._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that’s it! I know it isn’t as long but I didn’t want to draw this out too much. The next chapter will be about Harry’s first night at Freddy’s! 
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments and I’ll see you all next time.


	3. Chapter 2 - Hello, Hello?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone! So, this is the next chapter! We’re back with Harry again for his first night at Freddy’s!
> 
> Before we get to the chapter though I have a timeline of events here. This is mostly for me for keeping track of events but you may find it useful too. 
> 
> Timeline
> 
> 16th June – Battle of the Department of Mysterious, Sirius Black admitted to Saint Mungo’s, the day of Voldemort’s defeat.  
> 18th June – Sirius Black cleared of all charges.  
> 23rd June – School Term ended.  
> 1st July – Harry is told he needs to get a job. He sends Sirius the first letter.   
> 3rd July – Sirius received Harry’s first letter about needing a job.  
> 4th July – Harry gets the job at Freddy’s. He meets the previous night guard, Scott Cawthon, and the manager, Bruce Davis. He immediately grows suspicious of Mr Davis’ behaviour but takes the job out of desperation anyway. Harry sent Sirius the second letter.  
> 6th July – Sirius received Harry’s second letter.  
> 11th July – Sirius has received the final letter from Harry and sent his reply.   
> 17th July – Sirius Black escapes Saint Mungo’s. 
> 
> Anyway, enough of that. On to Freddy’s!

** Chapter 2 – Hello, Hello? **

 

8th-9th July – Harry

 

Harry sighed in resignation as his uncle drove out of the parking lot. He was surprised that Uncle Vernon decided to take him to work, especially at this time of night. He knew it wasn’t meant out of kindness though. _Probably didn’t want me being killed by some weirdo on the street before I could hand over my paycheck_ he mused sardonically _._

 

Harry strolled over to the front doors of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. It was just coming up to 11pm and his shift was meant to start at midnight. However, Mr Davis had informed him that he would need to come in an hour early so he could show him what he had to do. He also needed to be given his uniform apparently. Why he needed one was beyond him since he was the only one that would be there. Still, if that was what they wanted him to wear then so be it.

 

As the young wizard approached the building he felt a faint stirring of apprehension in his gut though he couldn’t fathom why. _Must be first day nerves_ he thought.

 

Harry stopped in front of the doors and noticed they were still unlocked with a faint glow of light coming from within. Just next to the entrance he could make out Mr Davis’ Lamborghini parked in the manger’s space. He vaguely wondered how a manager of a place like this could actually afford such an expensive car but shrugged it off. It wasn’t his business and as soon as Sirius was released he would be out of here.

 

Harry pushed open the door of the restaurant and stepped inside. The place was only partially lit with every second light switched off. The floors had been cleaned of spilled pizza and soft drinks and the tables wiped down with new party hats scattered on top, ready for a new day. Harry’s emerald eyes immediately flickered over to the three animatronic characters on the stage. His new boss had told him all about ‘The Fazbear Gang’ after Harry had accepted the job last Thursday. He hadn’t quite understood some of the more detailed explanations about how they work but what he did get was that they had been star attractions of the restaurant for about 5 years now and the kids absolutely adored them. He also learnt that the rabbits name was Bonnie, the bear was indeed Freddy Fazbear himself and that the last one was in fact a chicken, not a duck, named Chica.

 

The animatronic band was currently frozen in place as if they were just about to sing another cheery song for a group of young kids. The rabbit, _Bonnie_ he remembered, was holding his guitar in one hand with the other raised in the air as if he were about to start strumming a merry tune any second. Chica the chicken was still holding her silver tray with the, in his opinion, very creepy cupcake perched on top. Freddy was standing front and centre, his microphone raised up towards his face as if he had suddenly been switched off mid-song. Harry watched the three robots for a little longer, slightly unnerved by the unblinking, unseeing eyes. He was so focused on observing the three figures on stage he failed to notice something approach him from behind.

 

“Ah Mr Potter, you’re here! And just on time too!”

 

Harry yelped as he swung round to face the manager, panting ever so slightly from the shock. Mr Davis gave him an apologetic look.

 

“Sorry to startle you, my boy.”

 

Harry calmed his racing heart and flashed the man a reassuring smile. “It’s fine Mr Davis. I was just having a look at the animatronics.”

 

Mr Davis’ eyes quickly settled on the robotic animals on stage. Harry saw an unusual expression appear on the man’s face however it was gone before he could say anything. “Yes, they are quite amazing aren’t they? Well worth the small fortune it cost to get them. The kids just can’t get enough of Freddy, Bonnie and Chica.”

 

‘Amazing’ wasn’t quite the word Harry would have used. There was just something about those animatronics that made him feel quite uneasy. With that Mr Davis’ turned back towards the East Hall leading off to the Security Office and told him to follow. Harry cast one final look at Freddy, Chica and Bonnie before falling into step behind the man.

 

The hallway was barely lit and not nearly as clean as the rest of the building. The walls were the same as they were everywhere else in the place and the tiles were a bluish-greyish colour. Stars hung from strings from the ceiling with some half falling off. Cobwebs dangled down from corners with the odd spider waiting patiently in the middle for an unsuspecting meal to come flying by. On the wall to his left he noticed something he hadn’t seen before. Three large posters of the animatronics were taped onto the wall, each one showing a close up photo of one of the characters with words in bold writing. To the left was Chica with the words ‘EATING TIME!” written above, in the centre was Freddy with the words ‘FUN TIME!’ at the bottom and to the right was a picture of a rather dopy looking Bonnie with ‘PARTY TIME!’ above his head. Harry smirked at the picture. _Looks like Bonnie really did have a party before that one was taken_ he thought amusedly.

 

They walked right past the Manager’s Office and continued further down the hall. As they continued to walk Harry noticed papers scattered over the floor. Some held writing, some appeared to be drawings done by kids. On the wall to the left near the end of the hall was a sign about the rules of the place. Harry stopped in front of it and read it.

 

Rules

 

  * Don’t run.
  * Don’t yell.
  * Don’t scream.
  * Don’t poop on floor.
  * Stay close to Mum.
  * Don’t touch Freddy.
  * Don’t hit.
  * Leave before dark.



 

Harry blinked in surprise as he finished reading the poster. He wasn’t really sure what to be more astounded by; the ‘Don’t poop on floor’ rule, the ‘Don’t touch Freddy’ rule or the ‘Leave before dark’ rule. He didn’t even want to know how the former one came to be. _Then again, that’s what happens when you have little kids running around_ he supposed. _However, why couldn’t you touch Freddy?_ He supposed it would make sense that kids might break the animatronics or get them dirty but why mention Freddy and not the others? Had something happened with Freddy before? The last rule, however, was the one that baffled him the most. _Leave before dark? Why does everyone need to leave then?_ He was going to ask his boss about the rules but the manager had already stepped through a doorway to what Harry assumed must be his new office.

 

Deciding to dismiss the strange rules for now Harry quickly rushed into the room. The Security Office was a small room with a doorway on either side leading into the East and West Halls. Inside there was a simple, black painted wooden desk with some electrical equipment, a bright red phone, a desk fan, an old drink cup and some balled up papers on top. Sitting on top of one of the devices was a cupcake that looked a lot like the one Chica has. The chair was your standard high-backed office swirl chair and that sat tucked in under the desk. The desk itself had two draws and sitting underneath, alongside the chair, was a dusty speaker. The desk was pressed up against the wall, which was covered in childrens’ drawings and a poster of the animatronics with ‘CELEBRATE!’ written on it. The floor had black and white checked tiles and the walls were the same as the other rooms. There is a ceiling lamp hanging down from the roof, which was the only source of light. At the back of the room was a locker for the security guard to use which currently hung open, empty.

 

What Harry found odd was the fact that there appeared to be no doors. There was a window on each wall next to the entryways and between them sat a panel. Both panels contained two buttons. Harry stepped closer and read the labels for each one. The top one said ‘Door’ and the one below it read ‘Light’. Harry blinked in surprise. _Door? There weren’t any doors_. Before he could push the button Mr Davis spoke up.

 

“This is the Security Office. I know it’s nothing flashy but it serves its purpose.” Mr Davis proclaimed, leaning against the wall and gesturing to the desk. “Everything you will need is right here. The monitoring equipment is very easy to use. You only need to use the tablet and everything else turns on automatically when the clock hits 12am. You can use the tablet to check the cameras and make sure everything is…..in its place. The speakers will pick up any sounds but the acoustics are pretty good in this place so you’ll probably hear it with the doors open anyway.”

 

Harry glanced at the ‘tablet’ hoping it was as easy to use as Mr Davis made it out to be. He may have grown up in the muggle world but the Dursley’s never allowed him around technology after he blew up the TV when he was four. Harry wasn’t sure if that was accidental magic or if it had something to do with magic and electricity not going together well but it was irrelevant as far as his relatives had been concerned.

 

Mr Davis turned his attention to the wall panels. “These are for the doors and outside lights…” he began before Harry cut him off.

 

“Uh sir? There aren’t any doors.” He questioned, frowning.

 

Davis grinned. “Ah, that’s where your wrong my boy. The doors come from up there. Watch.” He explained before hitting the door button on the West Hall side. Immediately a metal door fell from the roof, slamming down with an almighty _bang!_ Harry leapt back in fright before righting himself quickly. Davis gave a booming laugh at his shock. “Loud isn’t it? Trust me, you’ll appreciate those doors tonight.”

 

Harry frowned in confusion. “Why?” What in the name of Merlin would he need massive, metal doors for?

 

Davis gulped nervously before shuffling from foot to foot. Harry got the distinct impression he had said something to him that he shouldn’t have. “Uh, well if anyone breaks in of course. Heh heh, you know? They will keep you safe.”

 

Harry’s frown deepened but Davis continued before he could call him out on his bluff. “Anyway, that’s about it for the office. I’ll go fetch you a uniform. Spares are in the staff room next to the reception desk. Although, I don’t think you’ll need it.” He babbled before waddling quickly out the door into the West Hall.

 

Harry shook his head and sat down in the chair. He thought over everything he had learned about this place so far and was starting to wonder if this had been a good idea. Shady manager, creepy animatronics, thick metal doors for an unknown purpose; yeah, this was starting to look pretty dodgy.

 

Mr Davis came back in at that moment carrying the exact same uniform he had seen the old guard, Scott Cawthon, wearing last Thursday. “Okay,” he began, “this should fit just fine. If it’s the wrong size let me know. Bathrooms are just down there.” He finished, pointing out into the West Hall.

 

Harry nodded and walked out of the Security Office. In the hall he could see a pile of papers and trash in one corner. Next to the doorway into the office was a monitor sitting in the shadows. Harry absent-mindedly wondered what it was for but shrugged it off. On the wall across from him he could see a poster of Freddy holding out his mic. Above it the words ‘LET’S PARTY!’ were written in bold letters. Harry turned and walked down the hall towards the Dining Area. The hall was mostly the same as the East Hall. He could see the door to the supply closest on his left and more kids drawings tapped to the walls but that was about it.

 

He quickly walked through the Dining Area, into the bathrooms and changed. He was happy to note the uniform fit perfectly and glanced at himself in the mirror. He had the same purple button-up shirt with the company logo, purple cap stating ‘Security’, black slacks and black tie as Cawthon had worn, although he didn’t have black shoes tonight and instead had his sneakers on. He also had a simple black watch on his wrist to keep track of the time. His tie was undone and he had the sleaves on his shirt rolled up due to the heat. Still, he thought it looked better that way and it wasn’t like anyone was going to notice if his uniform wasn’t one hundred precent right. He was the only one who would be here. Harry grinned in satisfaction before heading back to the office.

 

Davis nodded in approval when he was Harry’s uniform. He handed him a nametag and checked his watch. “Right, well it’s just on eleven thirty now so I better get going. If I don’t catch you tomorrow morning your shift starts at midnight for the rest of the week. Make sure you’re on time and best of luck.” He stated before turning to leave. However he stopped just before the shadows could obscure him from sight and continued. “Oh, and Potter?”

 

“Yes sir?” Harry replied.

 

There was a moment’s silence before Davis spoke. “Do not leave the office after midnight. Got it?”

 

Without waiting for a reply he disappeared into the shadows and was gone.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Harry sighed as he wondered the building. It was about fifteen minutes till twelve and he was already bored. There wasn’t much to do here after hours and he had to wonder what the rest of the night was going to be like, let alone the week. Still, the manager said he was going to be payed for the extra hour so that was something.

 

Harry walked into the Dining Area, Mr Davis’ parting words lodged in his head. _Do not leave the office after midnight._ Harry was completely dumbstruck by the order. He was supposed to be the Night Guard wasn’t he? Wasn’t it part of his job to patrol the place? He supposed the cameras would make it easier to keep track of things but still, something about this whole thing was not sitting well with him.

 

Harry glanced up at the Show Stage to check on the animatronics. He saw all three still on stage and was about to head back into the East Hall when he did a double take. He stared up at the animatronics and noticed they were still gazing blankly at the wall like before. However, he could have sworn they were all staring at him just a moment ago. Harry stood frozen in place for a minute but the animatronics remained still.

 

Harry shook his head and slowly turned back towards the East Hall. _I’ve been here for less than an hour and I’m already losing it._ Still, the feeling of being watched followed him into the hall.

 

Harry was just about to step into the Security Office when he heard a sound behind him. He glanced very quickly at his watch and noticed he still had thirteen minutes to go. Turning around he followed the noise with apprehension until he stopped dead in his tracks about halfway down. _Is that….crying?_ He quickly moved down the hall and noticed, sitting just under the posters of the three characters, was a child crying.

 

The boy was small, maybe only six or seven. He had black hair and creamy white skin. His clothes consisted of a simple white t-shirt and black pants with black lace-up shoes. He was curled up into a ball with his arms crossed over his knees and his face buried in his arms.

 

Harry stared at the child in bewilderment. _What in the name of Merlin is he doing here? It’s nearly midnight!_ Harry took about two steps forward when the little boy glanced up. Harry could see the big blue eyes staring back at him in fear.

 

“Hey, it’s okay. I won’t hurt you.” Harry quickly said in as comforting of a voice as he could manage. The boy continued to stare at him warily so Harry took three more steps closer, as slowly as possible, before lowering himself to the floor.

 

“I’m Harry. I’m the security guard here. Can you tell me you name?” Harry tried. He wasn’t really sure what he was supposed to do in a situation like this. Mr Davis had certainly never mentioned anything. What should he do? Did this happen often? How did the child even stay here this long without being noticed? _I really wish Hermione or Remus were here. They would know what to do._

 

The child gazed at him with watery blue eyes before finally croaking out “Z-Zack.”

 

Harry gave the boy a warm smile in reply. “Zack, huh? Well Zack, can you tell me what you’re doing here this late at night? I’m pretty sure it’s past your bed time.” Harry chuckled quietly, hoping a little light humour might cheer the kid up a bit and make him more willing to talk.

 

Zack gazed back sadly but still responded. “I’m stuck here.”

 

Harry frowned. _Stuck?_ “Stuck? You mean because the doors are locked? It’s okay, I can unlock them so we can get you back home. Could you tell me where that is?”

 

Zack just stared silently back at him. Harry shuffled slightly. There was something very off about Zack. It was like looking at the face of a young boy but into the eyes of someone decades older.

 

Harry pushed his unease aside and tried a different tactic. “What about your parents? Where are they? Do you know their number? Maybe I can give them a call from the office?”

 

Zack didn’t say anything for a minute and Harry was just about to ask again when he spoke up in a soft voice. “They won’t come.”

 

Harry’s frown deepened. “Why not?”

 

“Because they can’t.”

 

Harry sighed as he looked at the boy. “Listen Zack, I can’t do anything for you if you won’t help me out a little here. Just tell me how I can help you.”

 

The child shook his head slowly and whispered so quietly Harry had to strain just to hear it. “You can’t.”

 

Harry was about to reply when Zack suddenly looked up. “It’s time.”

 

Harry jumped to his feet when he heard a loud ringing behind him. He turned around to ask Zack what he was talking about and was surprised to see the boy gone. Harry gaped in astonishment. _Where’d he go?_

 

Harry flickered his gaze back and forth across the hall and spotted something that made his heart skip a beat. The posters of the animatronics had changed. In their place was a set of posters of a crying child.

 

A child that looked just like Zack.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Harry was shaking slightly in shock as he stepped back into the office and moved over to the desk. A part of him didn’t want to see that boy again and was wondering what the hell was going on. However, another part of him was trying to tell himself this was ridiculous and he should go look for the boy before something happened. _He couldn’t have just vanished into thin air and he surely couldn’t be a ghost. I’ve seen plenty of ghosts at Hogwarts and none of them looked like that. The posters though….._ that he couldn’t quite explain. _This is the muggle world. It couldn’t have been done with magic could it?_ He had called out to Zack but the boy didn’t come back and he couldn’t hear anything with that infernal phone ringing.

 

Flopping down into the seat he reached for the phone, ready to give the person on the other end a piece of his mind for ringing at such an inconvenient hour. However, it rang out before he could pick it up. Frustrated, Harry was about to go out and look for Zack again when the machine switched over to messages. Harry glanced at the phone and realised it was a recorded message, not someone ringing the place.

 

Harry sat back and listened in surprise as a very familiar voice filled the room.

 

“Hello, hello? Uh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night. Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact.”

 

It was Scott Cawthon, the night guard before him.

 

“So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about. Uh, you'll do fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay?”

 

“Sure.” Harry replied, despite knowing Scott couldn’t hear him. His interest was definitely piqued now. _Why is he leaving me a message? Davis already talked me through everything._

 

“Uh, let's see, first there's an introductory greeting from the company that I'm supposed to read. Uh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know. Um, "Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced."

 

Harry stared in shock at the phone. _Wait, what? What kind of introductory greeting was that?_ Harry’s unease was beginning to come back ten fold. He leaned forward, Zack and the strange posters completely out of his mind as he focused solely on Cawthon’s words.

 

“Blah blah blah, now that might sound bad, I know, but there's really nothing to worry about. Uh, the animatronic characters here do get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No. “

 

 _Quirky? What the hell is that supposed to mean?_ Harry’s thoughts wondered back to the incident in the dining room, when he thought he saw the animatronics staring at him, and the strange feeling he kept getting when he saw them.

 

“If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for twenty years and I never got a bath? I'd probably be a bit irritable at night too.”

 

Harry couldn’t help but laugh at that despite his growing uneasiness. He could agree with that statement. He had heard more then enough of the Fazbear Gang’s songs on Thursday.

 

“So, remember, these characters hold a special place in the hearts of children and we need to show them a little respect, right? Okay. So, just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit.”

 

Harry gaped in astonishment, previous amusement gone. _Wander?_ He quickly scrambled for the tablet as Cawthon continued.

 

“Uh, they're left in some kind of free roaming mode at night. Uh...Something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long. Uh, they used to be allowed to walk around during the day too. But then there was The Bite of '87. Yeah. I-It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?”

 

Harry frantically flew through the camera feeds. He would’ve thought this was a twisted attempt at a practical joke any other time but something told him this guy was being brutally honest. And really, considering he’s a wizard it wasn’t that hard to imagine. One thing was for sure though, if these things could remove your frontal lobe with a bite, he wanted to know exactly where they were.

 

Harry gave a sigh of relief when he saw all three animatronics on stage. However, that was short lived when he noticed all three staring directly at the camera. _They weren’t facing this way before!_ He made a split-second decision and slammed both doors closed.

“Uh, now concerning your safety,”

 

 _Yeah, let’s get to that part_ Harry thought impatiently.

 

“…the only real risk to you as a night watchman here, if any, is the fact that these characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll p-most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on. Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit.”

 

Harry wasn’t sure what to make of that declaration. Being shoved into a suit in theory didn’t sound that bad but he was pretty dammed sure there was more to it then that. He could feel his pulse racing as he continued to listen.

 

“Um, now, that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices, especially around the facial area. So, you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort...and death. Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they pop out the front of the mask, heh.”

 

Harry gaped in horror at the phone. He knew something was up with this place but who the hell thought it was a good idea to keep bloodthirsty animatronics around children? And why the hell did no one tell him about this?......Okay, well he could see how that may be a bit of a deterrent. Still though, he did not want to spend the night here with those things! They were freaky enough before when they stayed still and now he found out that not only did they move but would also attempt to brutally murder him? He was fairly certain he was heading straight for a panic attack now. He had defeated Voldemort not even a month ago and already he was being faced with possible death. It was too much. He couldn’t do this. Not now.

 

“Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up.”

 

 _No shit_ Harry thought hysterically.

 

“But hey, first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night.”

 

The phone message ended with a click and suddenly the room seemed ten times quieter then it had before. _What am I going to do?_ Harry frantically checked his pockets for his wand. It wasn’t there. _Damn it! That’s right. Uncle Vernon locked it away!_

 

He forced himself to calm down as much as possible and focus. _Panicking won’t do me any good right now. I need to focus. Maybe it was just a cruel joke? The animatronics could easily turn their heads while on stage and it was just some stupid ‘prank the poor new guy’ joke._ He checked his watch. 2:05am. Harry was surprised the recording had lasted so long. However, he was grateful for it. _Just under four hours to go. I’ve got this._

 

He picked up the tablet again. He flicked it onto the Show Stage. The animatronics were all still there and thankfully facing away from him again. He noticed in the bottom left corner there was a battery life bar. Harry yelped when he noticed it was already at 70%. _How?_ Then he remembered the recording. _And remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. The doors!_ Harry ran to the doors and opened them both. Glancing back at the power bar it stated 68%. Harry groaned. It wasn’t even two thirty! Prank or no prank, he didn’t want the power running out.

 

Harry sat back down at the desk and checked the tablet again. It opened straight onto the Show Stage this time. Harry froze.

 

Freddy was there.

 

Chica was there.

 

Bonnie was gone.

 

Harry scrambled through the cameras, trying to locate the runaway rabbit. Finally he saw him standing in the Dining Area. He couldn’t believe it! Cawthon hadn’t been joking after all. He released a shaky breath before calming himself. It was okay. He was still a fair distance away. _Maybe he’ll get bored and hop back on stage…..Yeah right, like I’m ever that lucky._

 

Harry shook his head to get himself back on track and began searching the rest of the cameras. Maybe there would be something important on one of them. Nothing was amiss except for the fact the kitchen camera was damaged and was on audio only. That was going to be a pain in the ass. Finally he got to Pirate Cove. It was one of the few rooms that Mr Davis had not shown him. Harry hadn’t really thought much on it before then. It was out of order so there probably wouldn’t be anything worthwhile seeing there anyway.

 

The Pirate Cove camera only showed the purple curtain covered in silver stars and the sign stating ‘Sorry! Out of Order!’ However, Harry was surprised to see the curtain half open and what looked like something poking its head out. All Harry could make out was a muzzle and what looked disturbingly like a rusty silver hook. He gulped. _Another animatronic? There were only supposed to be three!_

 

Harry waited a few minutes to see if the animatronic, dog? wolf? fox?, would move. When nothing happened he went back to the Show Stage. Freddy was staring at the camera again. However, the chicken was missing in action too now. It was then that Harry heard footsteps coming down the West Hall. Harry reached over and turned on the West Hall light. Nothing. He turned it back off and went back to the tablet. He checked the dining room quickly. Chica was in there now but Bonnie was gone. He checked the West Hall cameras. Nothing. Puzzled, Harry searched the other hall but found nothing there either. Slightly panicking now Harry bumped the button for the supply closet. There he was!

 

Harry sighed in relief and checked the time. 3:10am. Harry hadn’t expected that much time to have passed. _Must have spent more time checking out Pirate Cove then I thought._ He inspected the power bar. 60%. That was fine. He still had over half of it left.

 

He put the tablet down for a moment and ran his fingers through his hair in a nervous gesture. This was not something he was used to. In the Wizarding World everything made sense in its own way. He knew the spells he needed, knew who Voldemort was and why he was after him, he knew the situation and ways to get around it. This was different. He had no clue why the robots were coming after him, he seriously doubted the story Cawthon had given him was true, and there were so many other unknowns here to consider. He didn’t know how to stop them and had nothing to use as a weapon if one got in. He was stuck without any way out and that had his heart going double time.

 

“De dum de dum de dum dum”

 

Harry’s head shot up and immediately swung round to face the West Hall. “What the hell was that?” he muttered. It sounded like singing but he couldn’t tell where it came from.

 

He picked up the tablet and went through the camera feeds as the strange singing continued. Chica, he noticed, was getting closer. She was now in the East Hall. He made a mental note to keep an eye on her. Bonnie was still in the closet. _He must really like it in there. Merlin knows why._ Freddy was on stage and back to staring at the Dining Area. Harry frowned. It was obviously none of them.

 

He went to the Pirate Cove feed and the sound got louder straight away. The animatronic canine, he was pretty sure it was a canine at least, was back behind the curtain and it appeared he was making the noise. Harry frowned at the screen but let it go. _If he wants to sing that’s fine by me. As long as he stays there._

 

He lowered the tablet and checked the time. 4am. Two hours to go and still none of the animatronics had come near the office. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all?

 

_Crash!_

 

Harry jumped as the sound of smashing and clashing pots, pans and other kitchen tools came from down the East Hall. Harry didn’t need to check the tablet to know one of them was in the kitchen and that it was likely Chica. Harry winced at the noise. _I hope they don’t dock my pay for this._

 

The singing had stopped now but Harry could just make out the sound of footsteps under the ruckus coming from the kitchen. Harry picked up the tablet and checked the supply closet. Nothing. Bonnie was on the move. He checked the two West Hall cameras and still found nothing. The footsteps got louder and louder while he was checking and now it stopped.

 

He dropped the tablet and hit the light button. He let out a chocked shout when he saw Bonnie standing just outside the doorway, staring back at him with menacing eyes. Harry lent over and hit the door button just as the giant purple rabbit prepared to jump.

 

_Slam!_

 

Harry scurried back as Bonnie hit the door. There was silence for a few minutes so Harry cautiously went back to the closed door and checked the light. Bonnie was still there, staring back at him with a sinister grin.

 

He stepped back and grabbed the tablet. Chica had left the kitchen, it was only then he noticed that the bashes and clangs had stopped, and was now at the end of the East Hall. _Great, looks like I’ll be getting another visitor,_ he mentally groaned, not wanting to attract more attention from the overgrown rabbit just outside the door. The Pirate Cove animatronic was peaking out of the curtain again and Freddy was _still_ on the stage. Harry found that more unsettling then anything else. The way the bear stared at the camera was far more malicious then the other two. _What is he waiting for?_ It was like the animatronic was messing with him. Harry didn’t like it one bit.

 

Glancing at his watch he noticed that it was almost 4:30am. He only had about one and a half hours left. _This isn’t so bad_ , he mused in a desperate bid to think positively. _If it’s always like this then I reckon I’ll be okay._ He checked the West Hall again and noticed Bonnie had finally left. He raised the door and though he had better check the power. 20%. Harry gulped. _Okay, that’s not great but I only have an hour and a half left. It’ll be okay._

 

He went to sit back down but froze mid-step when he heard a moaning sound to his right. Looking up he could just make out a large shadow in the doorway to the East Hall. Yelping, he scrambled for the door and hit the button to close it. Chica lunged but unintentionally managed to do the same thing as Bonnie and slammed into the cold, steel metal instead of jumping into the office.

 

Harry panted in shock. _That was way to close._ He ran back across the office and checked the West Hall light. Bonnie wasn’t there. Sighing in relief he turned it off and went over to the tablet. He found Bonnie all the way over in the Backstage area. _How’d he get there so quickly?_ Freddy was surprisingly still on the stage. Harry almost wished the bloody bear would do something. He was feeling more paranoid over Freddy then the other three animatronics all together.

 

He put the tablet down and checked the East Hall. Chica had disappeared so he pressed the door button again and went back to check the time and power. It was just a few minutes after five but the power had dropped all the way down to 10%. This wasn’t good.

 

He heard footsteps in the East Hall again and quickly scrambled for the door. He checked the light and shouted when he saw Chica in the doorway. He closed the door again and backed up. Picking up the tablet he glanced nervously at the power.

 

9%.

 

8%.

 

7%

 

He checked the hall and noticed Chica was gone. He raised the door once more and checked the cameras. Bonnie was back in the supply closet, Freddy had not moved, the curtain in Pirate Cove was half open and Chica was in the Dining Area.

 

It was nearing 5:30am now. If he could just make it for a little longer he would be out of here and handing in his resignation. No way was he coming back tomorrow.

 

6%.

 

He could hear Bonnie in the hallway. There also appeared to be music coming from somewhere as well. It sounded to Harry like circus music. He would have been surprised but after everything that happened tonight and with the rising panic beginning to take hold again he just couldn’t be.

 

5%. 5:35am

 

Bonnie moaned right outside the door. Harry hit the button and sat back anxiously. He could hear Chica in the kitchen.

 

4%.

 

3%.

 

2%.

 

Bonnie finally left. It was now just fifteen minutes till 6am. He wasn’t sure he was going to make it though. Chica was down the hall now.

 

1%.

 

Chic was outside. He knew it. Harry’s breath came faster, shorter when he realised it was over.

 

**12 minutes to go.**

 

He closed the door. Silence and then the lights went out, the fan stopped, the tablet shut down and the East Hall door opened. He let out a shaky ‘N-No.” He had almost made it!

 

**10 minutes to go.**

 

He would never see Hogwarts again or his friends, Hedwig, Sirius and Remus. He would never get to see what it was like to have a real family. Voldemort was dead and he was still going to die well before his time.

 

**9 minutes to go.**

 

He could hear footsteps in the West Hall. Loud, heavy, foreboding. Someone, _or something_ , was coming.

 

**8 minutes to go.**

 

The circus music may have stopped when the power went out but he could still hear a song coming down the hall. If he weren’t so petrified he would have found that intriguing. _Where was it coming from?_

 

He could see an animatronic stop outside the door. Their blue eyes were glowing and the music was even louder. Harry thought it was supposed to sound cheerful. In any other circumstance it may have been. However, right now it was terrifying.

 

Harry froze as much as he could whilst trembling like a leaf in a storm. He recognised the blue eyes. It was Freddy Fazbear; entertainer, animatronic and now, his executioner.

 

**7 minutes to go.**

 

Harry stayed as still as possible as the music continued to play. He realised it was coming from Freddy himself. The bear had not moved since he got here. Harry almost got the feeling that the robot was toying with him; taunting him because he knew there was no escaping this and he had all the time in the world to make a move. _Maybe, just maybe if I remain still Freddy won’t notice me? Perhaps they relied on sound and movement to sense when a person was near?_ _Now I just need to slow my bloody breathing! Calm down Harry!_

 

**4 minutes to go.**

 

Freddy was still standing there. It was working! Now he just needed….

 

Silence. Darkness.

 

Freddy’s song had ended and the glow emitting from his eyes had gone out. Harry was completely in the dark. He couldn’t hold back a whimper when he realised what was about to happen. He had been scared in the Department of Mysterious. He had been scared in the graveyard. He had been terrified in the Chamber of Secrets and while rescuing the Philosopher’s Stone. However, every time he had been in those situations he either hadn’t been alone or had a means of getting out of there.

 

There was no one here now.

 

There was no escape.

 

There was no way he could fight back.

 

He was doomed.

 

**3 minutes to go.**

 

Freddy suddenly let out a loud screech and then Harry felt the hands go round his throat.

 

The giant bear slammed him into the wall. Harry choked desperately around the vice-like grip on his throat. He could feel the punishingly tight metal cutting off his airways. He frantically tried to pry Freddy off him, staring into cold, emotionless blue eyes as he did so. Nothing. He couldn’t even move Freddy’s hands an inch.

 

**2 minutes to go.**

 

Freddy pulled him back off the wall and started to drag him out into the West Hall. Further down Harry could just make out Bonnie’s silhouette standing at the very end of the hall.

 

Harry tried to scream and beg but he couldn’t even get a croak out around Freddy’s hold. He instead thrashed, kicked and punched at the bear but the only thing he achieved was bruised feet and bleeding, throbbing fists.

 

**1 minute to go.**

 

Bonnie and Chica soon joined them in the march through the Dining Area. Harry could barely stay conscious at this point. The lack of oxygen was making his vision go blurry and his chest scream in agony. He could see another figure waiting by the Backstage door. Harry could only assume it was the animatronic from Pirate Cove.

 

He had stopped fighting now. It was no use. They had won and everyone knew it.

 

Freddy reached the door and Bonnie went to push it open.

 

_Ding-dong. Ding-dong. Ding-dong. Ding-dong._

 

The sound of an old clock filled the air, accompanied by the cheers of young children. Bonnie, Chica and the unknown animatronic all froze before turning around and heading back to their respectful places. Freddy too paused before he dropped Harry on the floor and followed the others. Harry would swear on his life the bear had looked furious when the bells rang, as if he were enraged at having been stopped.

 

Harry lay sprawled on the floor, desperately gulping in air down his agonisingly painful throat. He couldn’t believe it. He was alive! _Talking about being saved by the bell!_

 

After five minutes of just laying there he finally pushed himself shakily to his feet. He gently reached up and touched his neck. He hissed in pain and swiftly withdrew his hand. _Yep, that’s gonna leave some serious bruising._ His feet were aching too from kicking against solid metal and his hands were cut up and sore from trying to get the beast to drop him. Harry made a mental note to tend to those as soon as he got home.

 

He shook violently as he staggered down the East Hall back towards the Security Office. He was still in awe of what happened. He had made it but just barely. _Another few minute and I would have been a goner._

 

He grabbed his things and got dressed on autopilot, thoughts occupied with the horrible night he had just had and what he was going to say to Davis when he saw him next. There was no way in hell he was coming back. _Screw the Dursley’ and screw this job!_ He left the Security Office, giving the room one final glare before shuffling weakly down the East Hall.

 

He glanced around him as he went, vaguely recalling the events that occurred before midnight. Remembering Zack, Harry felt horrible for forgetting the kid. Had he been taken by the animatronics? No, he would have heard that for sure. Or seen it on the security feed. That left only two options; he escaped or he hadn’t been alive at all.

 

Harry frowned at the last thought. He was in no mood to ponder that option. Instead he tried to think about how the kid could have gotten out. The answer came quickly. The only way out of here would have been through the window in Mr Davis’ office. He paused in front of the door and checked the knob. He felt a shudder go down his spine.

 

It was locked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, that was the longest chapter for a story I have ever written. I was originally going to break it up into two parts but luckily for you guys I decided to be kind for once and not leave you with too much of a cliffhanger. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this part. Next up we will be returning to Sirius and the aftermath of his escape from the hospital.


	4. Chapter 3 - Revelations

** Chapter 3 – Revelations **

 

17th July – Sirius

 

Sirius rounded the corner onto Magnolia Crescent, his animagus form’s tail wagging back and forth excitedly. It was late afternoon now and almost a whole day since he escaped from St Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. It had been easy to flee the hospital as Padfoot, his dog animagus form. Although the Ministry now knew about him being an animagus they hadn’t released a formal report or statement on his innocence yet. The general public were still unaware that he could change into a large black dog.

 

Thus far he had not run into his last remaining best friend, Remus Lupin aka Moony, yet. He was surprised that the werewolf hadn’t caught up with him. He had no doubts whatsoever that Remus was aware of his escape and he would have known exactly where he was going. So the question remained, where was he?

 

Sirius huffed and quickened his pace. He wasn’t worried about Moony. Sure, he was going to get one hell of a telling off for making a scene just after being declared innocent but he couldn’t wait even a few more hours. It had taken him a little while to find his wand, get back to Grimmauld Place to grab a few things and then make his way to Little Whinging. However, he was here now and just a few blocks away from his pup’s house.

 

He panted happily as he trotted down the streets. A few people stopped to watch the massive dog walk past, some scowling at the ‘beast’ of an animal daring to show itself in their ‘high-class’ neighbourhood. Sirius growled at those particular few, huffing in laughter as they quickly scrambled away. He took a short cut through an ally and found himself at the far end of Privet Drive.

 

He yipped in delight as he realised he would be seeing Harry in just a few short minutes. His relief making him feel even lighter as he bounded down the street. _Number 10. Number 8. Number 6. Ah, finally! Number 4!_

 

Sirius ducked down the side of the house and, after checking no nosy neighbours were about, changed back to human form. He walked back around to the front and rapped his knuckles against the door.

 

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

 

He waited for a few minutes, taking the time to prepare himself for an encounter with some of the most awful people he has ever known, until finally the door was opened. Standing there, in a sickly floral dress, was Petunia Dursley. Her blond hair was pulled back into a bun and her pale green eyes glared at him with a mixture of shock, fear and hatred. _Well, clearly she knows who I am. This will make things easier._ Sirius bit back a snort of laughter at the expression she wore as the shock started to recede. _Merlin, she looks like a spooked horse!_

 

Sirius, to his credit, did attempt a smile; although it came out more like a grimace. “Afternoon Tuney!” he greeted in a too cheerful tone, remembering the nickname Lily often used in their youth when talking about her sister. He decided to try and be as civil as possible. Although it was tempting to hex the Dursleys he was more concerned with finding Harry and seeing if he was okay. However, he couldn’t resist a slight dig at the horse-faced woman.

 

Petunia pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, looking even more like a horse in the process, and hissed out “What are _you_ doing here?” Sirius noticed her eyes flicker over him nervously, no doubt checking for a wand or muggle weapon, before scanning the street for any onlookers. Sirius snorted at that. _Seriously, why can’t people get it through their thick skulls that I was cleared of all charges? Although, with the way they have treated my godson, perhaps her paranoia isn’t so misplaced…._

 

“Well, I thought it was obvious. I came here for afternoon tea and to shares stories from the last couple years with my good ol’ friends.” Sirius taunted sarcastically. Okay, so being civil went right out the window. “I’m here to see Harry! He sent me a letter a couple days ago that I found concerning. When he didn’t write to me again I decided that I needed to come check on him. Speaking of concerning, he also told me about you threatening to throw him out if he didn’t get a job.” Petunia began to argue back but he cut her off. “What kind of aunt and uncle are you two? Demanding money from your sixteen-year-old nephew! You really are pathetic!”

 

It was then that he heard footsteps thundering down the hall. Sirius would have sworn on his life that the ground was trembling. “Pet, who is it?” came Vernon Dursley’s rumbling voice. Sirius groaned. _Great, now the hippo is here. All we need now is for the baby whale to join in and it will be like a messed up petting zoo._

 

Petunia didn’t take her eyes of her unwanted visitor as she replied in a stiff, angry tone. “One of _them._ ”

 

Vernon Dursley’s big, moustached face appeared in the doorway so quickly Sirius stumbled back in surprise. _How the hell did someone that size move so quickly?_ He was dressed in a dark grey suit, white shirt and a purple tie. Sirius fought back a grin when he spotted the colour of the tie. _Must be to match his face._

 

Sure enough, the moment Vernon Dursley spotted his nephew’s godfather standing on his doorstep his face went a bright shade of plum “Now you listen here! We don’t want anything more to do with your kind, understand me? Your worthless godson was supposed to pay his rent on Friday and he never turned up! We allowed the little bastard to slack on his chores, leaving my poor wife to do it might I add, because he had a job! And what does the little shit do? He takes off with his paycheck and doesn’t come back!”

 

Sirius narrowed his stormy grey eyes as he listened with growing rage and concern to Dursley’s rant. Many thoughts were swirling through his mind. _How dare that fucking jerk talk about Harry like that! Who were they to force his pup to work just to snatch the paycheck out of his hands? And what the hell did they mean Harry wasn’t here? Where was his pup?_

 

Sirius stepped forward menacingly, causing the two Dursleys to shuffle back inside with fright. Once he was out of sight of any curious muggles Sirius withdrew his wand and pointed it at them. “Now you listen Dursley! If I ever hear you talk about my godson like that again I will make you regret the day you were born, got it?” Sirius didn’t bother to wait for a reply as he continued. “Now, one of you better tell me what the fuck is going on and where Harry is before I get really angry.”

 

Sirius watched the couple through slitted eyes as they anxiously glanced between each other and the wand. Clearly neither wanted to answer but they didn’t want him to use his wand either. Finally Vernon spoke up. “I dropped the boy off at his job on Thursday night but he never came home the next day. It’s not our fault he’s gone! And good riddance as far as I am concerned. We never wanted the little freak anyway!”

 

“Vernon.” Petunia warned nervously, staring between her husband and the wizard.

 

Sirius growled, sounding very much like Padfoot as he did so. “Watch it Dursley!”

 

Vernon snarled in reply before bellowing “No! I have had enough of you fucking freakshows coming in here and ruining my family and I’s lives with your unnatural ways! That boy was nothing but a nuisance since the day he came into this fucking world and I hope he finally has gone the same way as his bastard of a father and bitch of a mother! The world would be better off with the little shit six feet under!”

 

No sooner had he said it Sirius yelled “Stupefy!” at the top of his lungs. Vernon Dursley went hurtling down the hall before slamming into the ground with a boom that shook the whole house. Petunia screamed and ran to her fallen husbands side. Sirius vaguely registered Dudley at the top of the stairs shouting “Mummy! Daddy!” but the marauder ignored him. His eyes were tamed on the Dursley patriarch.

 

“Never! Speak! About! Lily! James! Or! Harry! Like! That! Ever! Again!” He shouted, emphasising each word with a stomp forward until he was standing directly above the two. Vernon, who was just managing to pull himself into a sitting position, gazed at him in terror, all bravado gone. Sirius lowered his voice into a venomous whisper, the tone more chilling then the shouting had ever been and full of deadly promise. “If anything, _anything,_ has happened to _my_ pup I promise you that I will be back and you will _pay_ for _everything_ you have done to him. Got it?”

 

Sirius turned without waiting to here their response and stormed up the stairs to his godson’s room. He growled even more noticing the lack of personality in the room. Harry’s bedroom should have posters of his favourite bands, Quidditch team and school house. There should be schoolwork, books, clothes, prank supplies and other various things scattered about. Instead it was ridiculously clean. This _wasn’t_ Harry’s room. Not really.

 

Sirius huffed before he gathered up Harry’s things, noticing that Harry’s wand, invisibility cloak, broomstick, the Marauder’s Map and photo album were all missing. He found his godson’s trunk in the closet, padlocked, but they weren’t in there either. He grabbed everything, including Hedwig’s cage after he told her to go to Remus’ place, and apparated away.

 

Well, not before charming all the walls puke green and all three Dursleys’ hair pink that is.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Sirius landed with a grunt outside the cottage of his friend, Remus. He quickly picked up Harry’s belongings and went inside. Remus’ cottage was a small but cosy wooden building on the edge of the Kielder Forest, far away from the area visitors went to. It had two small bedrooms, a bathroom and a combined kitchen, dining room and living room. The walls were a light pine and the floor was s slightly darker cedar. The old couch was a light blue and the curtains matched. All the furniture was made of differing types of light coloured woods and the bookshelves were stocked to the brim with various types of texts from spell books to muggle fiction novels. All together it held a warm and comforting atmosphere that practically screamed Remus Lupin.

 

Sirius noticed that Remus wasn’t here yet so he quickly went to the spare bedroom and dumped Harry’s stuff inside. He was just placing Hedwig’s cage on the cypress wood desk when he heard the front door slam open, followed by Moony’s voice shouting “Sirius!” Sirius grimaced. _Moony’s back._

 

The dog animagus went back out into the living room and found Remus standing by the couch, arms crossed and a disappointed look etched onto his face. In any other situation Sirius would have given his friend a smart-ass reply and proceeded to annoy him until he grew fed up enough to drop the subject altogether. Today though he wasn’t in the mood for joking around.

 

Remus glared at him as he continued. “Where the hell have you been? You were going to be released today anyway Padfoot so why did you go sneaking off like that? I…”

 

Sirius broke in before his friend could really lay into him. “Remus, before you tell me off, here me out. Harry’s in danger and…”

 

Remus cut him off with a sigh. “Sirius, we’ve been over this already! I know you’re concerned about that letter and believe me, I know it was off but that doesn’t mean that….”

 

“Moony! I went to Privet Drive!”

 

Remus blinked at him in surprise. “You did what?”

 

“I went to the Dursleys’ place. Harry wasn’t there. They haven’t seen him since last Thursday! My pup is missing Moony, your cub! We have to find him before its to late.” Sirius finished somewhat frantically.

 

Remus gaped in horror at his friend’s revelation. “Harry’s missing? Do you know what happened to him? Is he okay? Where did they last see him?”

 

Sirius shook his head. “I really don’t know much. All I know is he is missing and the last place they saw him was at his summer job on Thursday night.”

 

“And where is that?” Remus queried.

 

Sirius pulled out one of Harry’s letters and checked the name. “Well, it looks like our first stop will be Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.”

 

Remus nodded. “Let’s go.”


	5. Chapter 4 - Foxy

** Chapter 4 – Foxy **

 

9th-10th July – Harry

 

Harry yawned and rubbed his eyes as he sluggishly stumbled down the West Hall. It was five minutes to midnight on his second night of his new job and he was not ready for it, at all.

 

After the events of the previous night Harry had gone home, done some minor research on animatronics, written Sirius a letter to hopefully keep his godfather from worrying and then literally collapsed on his bed. However, despite how tired he was after the draining experience he just couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned for hours, thoughts plagued by the horrors he had witnessed in that place and questions that seemed to hold no answers, and when he finally did sleep it was to be drawn into the clutches of vicious nightmares filled with glowing eyes and sharp teeth. By the time he got any semblance of a good nights sleep it was ten o’clock. He was woken just an hour later by his uncle with orders to get ready for work. Needless to say he was feeling utterly spent.

 

Now here he was, back at Freddy’s again, barely keeping his eyes open, uniform a mess and carrying a bag filled with energy drinks in a bid to wake himself up enough to get through the night. As he walked his mind was reeling over what he found out, or more like, the lack thereof. He barely knew anything about technology and had been lucky that one of his neighbours had been willing to help him out, for a price of course. Still, all he had learned was a little history of the Fazbear animatronics and some basic info about the animatronic parts. He hadn’t been able to find anything really interesting or that could explain last night’s events and had been too tired to keep looking. He paid his neighbour for his help and went home. He shook his head and continued on down the hall.

 

Harry had pointedly refused to look at the animatronics on stage when he walked in but he did poke his head into Pirate Cove and finally got a look at the strange canine robot behind the purple curtain. It turned out it was a fox with tattered red fur, a black eye patch, brown pants and a menacing-looking rusty hook instead of his right hand. It was obviously an old animatronic as it was in poor condition. The metallic parts, the ‘endoskeleton’ he remembered reading earlier today, was exposed from the pants down as well as his entire left hand having been stripped down to the machinery. His chest and arms were slashed in places as well and he could see parts through the gaps. The jaw was clearly damaged, hanging open instead of remaining closed, and showing very sharp teeth. Harry did notice, however, that some appeared to be missing. All in all, it was no wonder the fox had been deemed ‘Out of Order’. An old picture on the wall of the fox in its glory days stated that its name was Foxy the Pirate Fox. _Wow, original much_ Harry thought sarcastically.

 

Harry groaned as he shuffled into the office. It was two minutes to midnight now. He pulled out a small bottle of energy drink, placed it on the desk, and put his bag in the locker behind him. Sitting down he closed his eyes and went to run a hand through his hair until he remembered the cap he was wearing. _Okay, I can do this. I CAN do this. Maybe last night was all just a seriously fucked up dream? Yeah, that’s it! Just a dream, a nightmare._

 

The lights in the building either dimmed or went out as the clock struck twelve. _Show time_ Harry mused. Not even ten seconds after twelve the phone began to ring. Harry felt his pulse quicken. _It was a dream. This is just some person pulling a joke on me. Maybe it’s that receptionist lady, Tracy, or even Davis calling to tell me something he forgot about yesterday?_

 

Harry went to grab the phone but it clicked over onto messages.

 

“Oh, no” he sighed.

 

“Uhh, Hello? Hello?” Came Cawthon’s voice over the phone. _Yep, it wasn’t a dream._ Realistically he had known it wasn’t but it was nice to pretend he didn’t work in hell for a little while. He sighed and shifted back in his chair to listen to tonight’s phone call. _Well, it can’t be worse then last night’s_ he lamented optimistically.

 

“Uh, well, if you're hearing this and you made it to day two, uh, congrats!”

 

“Thanks mate” he replied with an eye roll at the out of place tone the guy used. Although he did find the guy’s attitude to the situation slightly annoying he did have to admit he was grateful for his calls none the less. It was thanks to this guy after all that he wasn’t dead right now. _I would have been killed for sure if it hadn’t been for Mr Cawthon. I need to track this guy down sometime and thank him for it._

 

“I-I won't talk quite as long this time since Freddy and his friends tend to become more active as the week progresses.”

 

Harry paled at that. _So much for it can’t get any worse._

 

“Uhh, it might be a good idea to peek at those cameras while I talk just to make sure everyone's in their proper place. You know...”

 

Harry grabbed the tablet and quickly checked the Show Stage and Pirate Cove. Other then Foxy peeking out of his curtain everyone was in their place. Harry sighed and tuned back into the phone call.

 

“Uh... Interestingly enough, Freddy himself doesn't come off stage very often. I heard he becomes a lot more active in the dark though, so, hey, I guess that's one more reason not to run out of power, right?”

 

Harry snorted at that, lips twitching up into an amused grin. He kind of wanted to be annoyed at this guy but it was pretty hard to be. He did make a mental note though to watch the power levels more carefully tonight. If it meant Freddy stayed on stage then that was one less thing he needed to worry about.  

 

“I-I also want to emphasize the importance of using your door lights. There are blind spots in your camera views, and those blind spots happen to be right outside of your doors.”

 

Harry nodded idly. He knew about the ‘blind spots’ and door lights. The young wizard found himself contemplating the stupidity of the person who designed the building. _Seriously, you would think they wanted the night guard’s to be killed. Then again, maybe they did. If the night guard dies then they won’t have the chance to tell anyone about this place. Fucking sick bastards._

 

“So if-if you can’t find something, or someone, on your cameras, be sure to check the door lights. Uh, you might only have a few seconds to react... Uh, not that you would be in any danger, of course. I'm not implying that.”

 

Harry rolled his eyes. “No, of course your not. There’s nothing dangerous about killer animatronics wondering around.”

 

“Also, check on the curtain in Pirate Cove from time to time. The character in there seems unique in that he becomes more active if the cameras remain off for long periods of time. I guess he doesn't like being watched. I don't know.”

 

Harry huffed. “Coulda told me that one yesterday.”

 

“Anyway, I'm sure you have everything under control! Uh, talk to you soon.”

 

The phone clicked off and once again it was silent. Harry found himself wishing the guy had left another message. Or better yet, called himself. At least that way he wouldn’t feel alone here all night.

 

Harry sighed as he picked up the tablet. He glanced at the cameras again and groaned in dismay when he saw Bonnie and Chica missing. He could hear the circus music start up again down the hall while he flicked through the cameras. Foxy was still peeking out from behind the curtain, Bonnie was standing Backstage and Chica was in the Dining Area. _Well, I still have some time before they reach the doors at least_ he groused.

 

He put down the tablet and waited for the animatronics to make their moves. While he was waiting Harry allowed his mind to wonder sleepily. _So, Bonnie’s a girls name isn’t it? Yet, every drawing I’ve seen in this place and from everything I’ve heard people say implies that he is a boy. How strange. He kind of reminds me distantly of a cartoon I saw once actually. What was it? Of yeah, Bugs Bunny from Loony Tunes I think._

 

Harry shook his head and tried to focus again. “Merlin, I hope I get some sleep later. I’ll never survive Wednesday at this right.” He mumbled tiredly as he checked his watch. 1:03am. He could hear footsteps coming from down the halls. _They’re on the move then._

 

He picked up the tablet again, feeling relief when he saw Freddy hadn’t moved yet. _I hope it stays that way._ Chica was now outside the restrooms. Bonnie was at the end of the West Hall. Harry felt his momentary tension ease when he realised he was safe for now. He flicked over to Pirate Cove and confirmed that Foxy wouldn’t be an issue for now and then looked through the other cameras. _Storage Closet. Nothing. Kitchens. Nothings in there. Backstage. Nothi….wait. What the fuck!?_

 

Harry yelped in shock when he saw the endoskeleton, now sitting straight up, and the empty heads all facing the camera. Furthermore, all the eyes had turned a glossy black with tiny pinpricks of white in the centres. Harry was bewildered by the sight. He could understand the possibility of an endoskeleton moving, even if it was supposed to be deactivated, but how did the heads move? _And what’s with the demonic eyes?_

 

He stayed frozen in place for what must have been at least ten minutes, just waiting for one of them to move. However, nothing happened. Still, Harry couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling of the eyes watching him. _I swear its like those things can see straight into my sou_ l, he mused with a shudder.

 

Harry finally forced his gaze away from the disturbing sight and checked the power. 54%. Harry gaped at the power indicator before checking his watch. It was nearly 2am. _I can’t believe it! I watched the Backstage for too long!_ He quickly switched off the tablet, feeling sick with exhaustion and anxiety. _Okay, okay, calm down Potter. This is bad but you can handle it. I just need to use good ol’ hearing for this. I’ll hear them moving around. I can do without the cameras for a little while._

 

Still, the idea of not knowing exactly where they were filled his gut with dread and paranoia. He suddenly heard the repetitive _thud thud thud_ of footsteps in the West Hall. _Bonnie._

 

The wizard could hear the sounds stop just outside. He pushed the button on the wall and the light flickered to life. Sure enough, Bonnie was standing there. Harry slammed his fist onto the door button and waited till the thick metal slab banged into place before turning the light back off.

 

Harry groaned in misery and concern as it occurred to him that more power was no doubt being drained right now. He waited for a few minutes, listening for more footsteps. He heard Chica getting closer but knew she was not outside just yet. Finally after nearly fifteen minutes he heard the sounds of Bonnie retreating.

 

Harry raised the West door, turning on the light as he did so. After confirming that the purple rabbit was indeed gone he switched off the light and risked a glance at the time and power. 48% at 2:30am.   Harry had to blink his eyes three times before he was able to accept that he wasn’t imagining things. Only one thing went through his mind on repeat when it finally sank in.

 

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit..” he muttered as he frankly switched of the tablet.

 

He dropped his head into his hands and breathed deeply for a few minutes. _Calm the hell down. This panicking won’t get you anywhere._ However, it was easier said than done. He could still remember vividly what happened the previous night. The glowing eyes, the cold metal hands clamped too tightly around him, the gut-wrenching knowledge that this was it…

 

Harry violently shook his head and gulped down a few breaths of air. _Not tonight. It won’t happen again. I just need to…_

 

Harry froze in his seat when he heard a wobbly moaning sound to his left. He hesitantly glanced over his shoulder. It was dark but he could just make out a shadow in the doorway. _Chica!_ He lunged off his seat and only just managed to slam the door shut before the chicken could reach him. Still, his mind rattled at the loud screech the animatronic had made as it lunged. _Holy fuck, that was loud!_

 

He sat back against the door for a few minutes, nursing a newly formed headache. Finally he pushed himself up to his feet and pressed the light button. Luckily Chica had wonder off again. Sure enough, the distant sound of pots and pans banging together could be heard as he raised the door back up.

 

He stayed seated on the floor for what had to have been close to half an hour at least. He listened warily as the animatronics moved around the restaurant. The _thump thump thump_ of footsteps being broken only by the circus music and the ruckus from the kitchen. Finally the wizard decided that he needed to check the tablet again.

 

He glanced at his watch for a time check. 4:07am. Harry groaned before pulling himself up and moving over to the desk. Footsteps down the East Hall. _Chica’s been really active tonight. Wonder what her problem is_ , he huffed in a mixture of amusement and anxiety.

 

Picking up the tablet as he sat down the wizard quickly eyed the power. 22%. _Suppose that’s better then I expected._ He quickly dropped his gaze down to the cameras. Backstage was empty, _and the spare parts haven’t moved again thank Merlin!,_ as was the Dining Area, Restrooms and Kitchen. Freddy was on stage still, however he was staring at the camera again, and Bonnie was back in his closet. He found Chica down the East Hall. _She’s getting close. Better watch that._ Finally he flicked over to Pirate Cove.

 

Harry yelped.

 

_Where’d he go?_ Harry thought frantically. He had no idea where the fox would have run off to. He hadn’t seen him on any cam….

 

_Thud thud thud thud thud!_

 

Harry sprang from his seat as if it just caught fire. The sounds where coming from the direction of the West Hall and they were approaching him. Fast! He glanced at the tablet and quickly checked the camera. Sure enough he saw Foxy racing down the hall, his jaw flapping as he went. Harry would have found the sight hilarious in fact if it were under different circumstances. However, at that moment the sight was just downright terrifying.

 

The young wizard reached for the door button just as a flash of silver caught his eye. “AHHHHH!!!” Harry yelled as he felt the hook slam into his left arm, tearing through the flesh like butter. Finally after what felt like ages, but was in reality less then a second, the hook stopped its movements, buried deep in his torn arm.

 

Harry ground his teeth together in a bid to focus through the pain. He just pulled his head up in time to duck down before a pair of powerful jaws could descend on his head. Hissing through gritted teeth Harry frantically tried to come up with a plan. _Shit, shit! What do I do? Great Merlin that hurts! Okay, okay focus! I need to get my arm free first. Just one step at a time._

 

Harry dodged another snap from the mechanical maw and carefully but quickly began pulling his arm free. An array of quite colourful language slipped past his lips as the rusting metal edged painfully out of his trembling arm. _Snap!_ Another attack from Foxy. Harry grunted and forced his blurring vision to focus again as he finally got his arm free. However, his feeling of victory quickly sobered when Foxy, frustrated with the humans successful attempts at blocking his attacks, lunged toward him with his one good hand this time.

 

Harry ducked as the robotic hand swung his way and managed to kick out with his right leg. His foot connected with the animatronic with a sharp _bang_ and Foxy stumbled back to just outside the door. The wizard glanced from the doorway to the button, judging his chances of reaching the button before the fox could launch another attack. Deciding to go with it he leapt for the door. Foxy let out a screech as he too sprung towards the doorway. Harry felt his hand hit the button just as his emerald eyes connected with the malicious, glowing yellow orb that was the animatronic’s one uncovered eye. The metal door hit the floor a split second later, separating the vulnerable human from the vicious robot.

 

The teen slid down the wall beside the door as he shook like a leaf in a storm. _That was too close! I thought he had me there…_ Harry winced as the painful throbbing from his damaged arm finally registered through the horror-clouded fog in his mind. His eyes flickered down to the limb in question and a strained gasp escaped his throat. His arm had a huge gash running all the way down from the elbow to just three centimetres up from the wrist. The cut was ragged and had been bleeding a fair bit. He nearly fainted at the sight of the torn flesh as the true extent of what just occurred hit him. The animatronic had just attacked him, _hurt him!_ Yesterday had been horrible, sure, but this? This made the whole situation that more real. What if the hook had caught his veins? What if it had not caught his arm but his chest, his face….his throat? _I could have died then…_ The look in the robotic animal’s eye came back to mind. The anger, the malicious, bloodthirsty hunger. It _wanted_ to hurt him. It wasn’t faulty programming or some serious mechanical failure. That fox had wanted to kill him, to make him suffer.

 

Harry shakily reached for his bag and pulled a spare t-shirt out. He tore the fabric into long strips and hastily wrapped up the arm. He knew for sure it would need stitches however there was no way he was heading for the door with those things still wandering about out there. He spared a glance at his watch. It was now nearing five am. Harry considered it a miracle that none of the other animatronics had come for him during that time. He supposed it was a luxury he wouldn’t receive again if Cawthon’s warning about them becoming more active during the week was anything to go by.

 

A moan from the opposite doorway got his attention and then it was back to the routine. Luckily the rest of the night went without a hitch. The six am bell rang just in time to stop Foxy’s next run. Harry was beyond grateful for that. One encounter with the fox was enough for him. He sighed in relieved exhaustion as he put the tablet down on the table. It had literally got down to 1% when 6am came around.

 

He sluggishly rose to his feet, mindful of his still aching arm, and went to change out of his uniform. Once he was dressed, his jacket covering his uniform shirt since he used his own to bandage the wound, he headed for the doors. While he walked his mind wondered to what he learnt last night. _There is no way that story about endoskeletons and faulty programming is true. No mere robot could mimic emotions like that, surely. There is something more going on here and I’m going to figure it out._

 

Harry moaned in dismay as he stumbled outside. Uncle Vernon wasn’t there. After a few minutes of quite colourful cursing that would no doubt have earned a long detention with Professor McGonegall, he started the tedious walk home with the intent to get Aunt Petunia to drive him to the hospital. As he turned the corner onto his street he made a mental note to do a lot more thorough research into Freddy’s, _I should probably ask Hermione about that_ , and gave himself a reminder to bring his wand with him tomorrow. If nothing else came out of this job, he was going to find out the true secret behind the animatronics of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.  
  
---  
  
 


	6. Chapter 5 - Bloody Discoveries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone! So, I just wanted to inform everyone that there was an error with the dates for the story. However, I have fixed it now. It wasn’t really a big deal but I still figured I would let you know.

** Chapter 5 – Bloody Discoveries **

 

17th July – Remus

 

The cool, evening air ruffled Remus’ short, grey-speckled, sandy-brown hair as he followed Sirius down the footpath. They were just about to turn the corner onto Ravenbark Avenue now and the werewolf could practically feel the tension in the air rising. It was almost seven o’clock at night now and although under normal circumstances Remus would have told Sirius to save the visit to the restaurant till tomorrow, his missing cub had been the sole factor that changed his mind. He knew that they needed answers and this was their best bet.

 

On the way Remus had attempted all the tracking charms they knew but none of them had locked onto Harry’s location. This had been very disconcerting but he tried to remind himself that it had been unlikely to work anyway. Harry had had many anti-tracking charms placed on him to avoid Voldemort and the Death Eaters from finding him. Nevertheless, he was still feeling very anxious to find his cub.

 

Sirius had quickened his pace as they finally found themselves walking down Ravenbark Avenue. At the end of the street they could easily spot the brightly lit family pizza place. Cars were packed in front of the building with the odd family strolling through the car park, either leaving after a fun day out or heading in for dinner. Even from the end of the street they could still hear the faint sounds of music, laughter and talking coming from Freddy’s. Clearly it was a busy night tonight.

 

The two Marauders exchanged a glance as they approached the building. Nodding in silent agreement they pushed open the door and stepped inside. They were immediately assaulted with loud kids’ music, bright lights and the smell of greasy pizza. The two Marauders stood by the door for a few minutes while the werewolf in the duo adjusted to the overstimulating environment attacking his senses. Remus finally nodded to his companion that they could head in and they turned to the Reception Desk. They both sighed simultaneously in relief upon realising there was no one there to stop them. They had no intentions of letting anyone know they were there.

 

Sirius and Remus nodded to each other and ducked down behind the desk. Remus withdrew his wand and murmured “Absconda Patespectu”, the disillusionment charm, and both he and Sirius felt a cool tingling overcome them as they blended in with their surroundings. Remus stared at the spot where he knew the other Marauder was crouched. He grinned when all he could see was the slight distortion in the air where Sirius was. They would still need to do their best to avoid people, if someone looked properly at the spot they would be able to tell someone was there. Still, this was their best chance at having a look around.

 

“Okay,” Remus murmured softly, ”So, Harry was working as a night guard right?”

 

Sirius nodded before remembering Moony couldn’t really see him. “Yeah, he mentioned it in his second letter.”

 

Remus hmmmm’d thoughtfully. “Alright then we should find the Security Office. There must be one somewhere around here. If there is anything here to tell us where Harry is, it would be there.”

 

“Right” Sirius agreed. “Let’s head for the Dining Area and take it from there.”

 

Remus followed Sirius as his eyesight was better then the dog animagus’ and he could see where his friend was better then the other. The two crept through the Dining Area, manoeuvring around the crowded areas amongst the tables. Remus looked around him as he went, observing the place with curiosity. His attention went straight to the stage to his left. On the wooden stage there were three large robotic animals; a bear, a rabbit and a chicken. Remus watched as the animals played a song for the crowd of kids gathered in the room. The sight would probably be amusing and endearing to most. However, even from this distance Remus immediately picked up a putrid stench in the air; a stench coming from the robots.

 

The werewolf reached out and snagged his friends shirt. Sirius froze and Remus knew his friend was giving him a ‘What’s going on?’ look right now. Remus pulled the other wizard to the side so no one would bump into them by mistake. He murmured a quite “Stay here for a moment.” before shuffling closer to the Show Stage before Sirius could reply. As he got nearer, the awful smell became stronger. It was nauseating.

 

The werewolf paused about a meter from the stage, unable to get any closer to the odour, and stared even closer at the mechanical animals. From this closer distance his sight landed on the bear straight away. The first thing he noticed was what looked like handprints on his face and body. The next thing he saw however sparked more then just a mild curiosity. With his enhanced eyesight he was able to see what he was positive were bloodstains on his brown, artificial fur. It was clear someone had attempted to wash them out but they didn’t do a good enough job to trick a werewolf’s eyes. Staring at the other two robots he saw the same thing, blood splatters that had been poorly attempted to wash away. Looking up at the faces he saw something even more confusing and disturbing. Coming from the eyes, noses and mouths of the bots he spied what he was sure was blood and mucus leaking from the orifices. It was only a small amount at the moment and he wasn’t sure if anyone else had noticed.

 

Remus stared in shock at the three animals for a little while, attempting and failing to understand what he was seeing. The blood splatters were disturbing enough but the liquids coming from the face? How did one explain that? And what had that smell been? He just couldn’t place it. He was sure he had smelt something like that before but it was too hard to remember. He sighed after a few more minutes when he remembered why they were here. He turned back round and luckily found that the canine animagus had stayed in place. He quickly made his way back to his friend and without a word dragged him over to the hallways. As he approached he saw the one that stated ‘Security Office’ and headed down it.

 

Sirius stopped him halfway down and demanded “What was that all about, Moony? We could have been caught!”

 

Remus sighed before telling his friend about what he saw. When he had relayed his discoveries he waited for a response from Sirius. The dog animagus wasn’t usually one to be left speechless so Remus knew that he wasn’t the only one who felt something big was going on here.

 

“Merlin’s beard….” Sirius mumbled after a few moments of silence. He wasn’t sure what else he could say. Where did one even begin with information like that? Why did the robots smell so bad? What was causing that stench? Where did the blood come from? Was it a freak accident or a murder? Who’s blood was it? If something big went down here why wasn’t the place closed for investigation? And what was up with the facial leakages? Sirius may have little to no experience with muggle technology but even he knew that mechanical objects didn’t have blood or mucus.

 

The two stood lost in thoughts for a few moments before Remus finally broke the silence. “We can figure it out later. Let’s check out this office before the place closes.”

 

Sirius mumbled his agreement before leading the way to the end of the hall. They were hoping that there wouldn’t be a security guard there at the moment but the two Marauders had their wands in hand just in case. When they reached the room Sirius poked his head in and was relieved to find it empty. “Okay, we’re good.”

 

Remus sighed happily before following Sirius into the small room. The two Marauders cancelled the spells cloaking them from view before exchanging grins. They were in.

 

Remus turned away from Sirius and scanned the room. He was slightly disappointed to note there wasn’t much in there; some muggle surveillance equipment, a black desk chair and a locker at the back. Drawings and posters littered the wall. In other words, it was pretty dull and Remus began to doubt they would find anything useful.

 

He breathed a sigh of dejection and that was when he smelled it; a strong chemical aroma. The werewolf sneezed at the powerful odour and felt his eyes water. Sirius, who had been unperturbed by the lack of things in the room and was already scanning the walls, turned back to him with a raised eyebrow. “You alright Moony?”

 

Remus took a few shallow breaths to clear his head and nodded. He breathed in carefully this time in an attempt to analyse what the smell was and frowned.

 

Sirius watched his friend for a few moments before the curiosity got the better of him. “What is it Moony?”

 

Remus thought carefully for a second before answering. “It smells like chemicals…cleaning chemicals I think. Maybe bleach?” Although he and his parents had lived in the Wizarding World when he was younger, Remus had still spent a lot of time amongst muggles following James and Lily’s deaths. He was fairly well acquainted with the way muggles did things and was pretty sure he was right about the smell. Still, it was very odd. Why would they need bleach for standard cleaning? _Maybe something a lot harder to clean was spilt here?_

 

“Bleach?” Sirius queried as he began searching the room again, stopping by the desk.

 

Remus nodded. “Bleach. A powerful cleaning product. It’s only really used for difficult stains.”

 

“Like blood?” Sirius asked softly.

 

Remus frowned as he stepped over to his friend. Sirius was staring at something under the desk, where the chair space resided. When he got closer, Remus understood what it was straight away and felt his face go pale. Underneath the desk were several bloodstains littering the underside of the desk. Due to the black paint of the wood it was near impossible even for him to see some of the marks but there were a few that even someone with human eyesight could just make out. However, only a trained eye would recognise them for what they were and not just marks left behind from a spilled drink or something of the like. Some of the stains, the ones only he could see, seemed fairly old and had lost much of their scent. Others, much to Remus’ unease, were much newer and where the ones Sirius was staring at. The bleach smell had covered up most of the scents to the point he probably wouldn’t have noticed it at all had Sirius not seen anything. However, now that he was close enough he could make out the clear scent of blood. It was hard to place who the blood belonged too. Some of the newer stains he did not recognise. However, after a few moments of analysing the scents one stood out with dreadful clarity. “Harry…”

 

Sirius’ head whipped round to face him so quickly he was surprised the man didn’t get whiplash. “H-Harry?” he choked out in fear.

 

Remus merely nodded, unable to say anything further. There wasn’t too much blood on the desk. At least, not too much he felt was Harry’s. However, the bleach he scented earlier made him believe that maybe there had been more then just what splashed under the desk.

 

Sirius was frozen for a few seconds, expression unreadable, before a stony look of determination set in and he got back on his feet. Without a word he got back to searching the walls for any clues amongst the posters and drawings. Remus cast one final look beneath the desk before he got back up too and checked the papers that were scattered on top.

 

They searched their respective spots for a few minutes with nothing being found. The posters and drawings were mostly old and likely all present when Harry got the job. On the desk were only a few odd files with no significance, a take-out menu and a magazine.

 

Sirius moved over to the desk to have another check, just to be sure, and Remus scanned the walls. After all, it never hurt to have another person look. There was nothing there that Remus could see. However, as he reached the door on the left of the office, a sign on the wall above it proclaiming it the West Hall, he could just pick up the faintest whiff of Harry’s blood. It was very distant and had either been cleaned extremely well or was older then the blood under the table. Remus frowned as he saw the spot it was coming from; right where two buttons sat on the wall, one for a light and one for the door. The wizard frowned in confusion. Why was Harry’s blood here? Had he been trying to keep someone out and got hurt? Or was it something else?

 

Sirius’ voice drew him from his thoughts. “Hey Remus! Check this out.”

 

Remus swung round to see what had caught his friend’s attention and saw him observing the chair. Remus raised an eyebrow in question. “Yes?”

 

Sirius’ grey eyes met his amber orbs with an imploring stare. “This chair is new.”

 

Remus blinked in confusion as he looked at the chair. “Yes, it is new….What does that have to do with Harry?”

 

Sirius glared at him in a way that clearly stated ‘You’re an idiot’ as he replied. “When James and I were in Auror training’, he began, both Marauders blatantly refusing to acknowledge the hitch in Sirius’ voice at the mention of James, “we learnt how even the smallest of details can be a big clue to solving a crime.” Sirius gestured to the room, particularly the equipment. “Look at this place Moony. Everything in here is old; the equipment, the posters, even the locker and desk. However, this chair is obviously brand new. I doubt anyone has used it yet. “ Sirius turned back to him and gave him a piercing look. “So, you tell me. Why would the chair be brand new if they clearly are too cheap to replace anything else?”

 

Remus frowned in thought. “Padfoot, I get where you are going with this but there could be a simple explanation. They may have just replaced the chair. It could have broken or the old one was very uncomfortable….” _Or covered in my cub’s blood_ , he thought with a shudder. He knew he wasn’t fooling anyone but they had to keep an open mind. Jumping to conclusions wouldn’t help anyone, least of all Harry.

 

“Bullshit Moony! You can’t honestly tell me after finding Harry’s blood under the desk you believe that?” Sirius snapped. “To me this is way too much of a coincidence. I’ll bet you something happened here and the owner of this place wanted it covered up. Someone hurt Harry and the chair was damaged in some way during the attack. Blood splattered under the table but when they bleached the floors clean afterwards they obviously didn’t think to check the table too. They must have been in a hurry. Harry is probably in huge danger right now and we have no idea where he is!” Sirius’ voice was reaching near hysterical as he ranted. Remus felt his own anguish rising as the pieces started to fall into place.

 

”I know Padfoot but there is nothing we can do until we know where he is.” Remus attempted to placate as he scanned the room for any more clues, desperate for some sign they were wrong and Harry was fine. His eyes fell on the locker. “Have you checked that yet?”

 

Sirius turned to see what he was looking at and shook his head. “No, not yet.” He hadn’t even finished speaking before he made his way over there. Remus followed him as Sirius opened the door to the locker with a muttered “Alohomora.”

 

The two wizards gazed into the locker and examined its contents. The locker was pretty big and split into two halves. Sirius had opened both to make sure they didn’t miss anything. On each side at the top was a shelf, below that a hook on the back either saying ‘Day Guard’ or ‘Night Guard’ on top, and below that was a spot at the bottom for a bag to be stored. The side for the day guard was currently mostly bare with only a bag at the bottom and a leather jacket hanging from the hook. However, the night guard’s side was mostly full. On the top shelf were a purple employees cap, black tie, folded purple shirt, black slacks and a nametag. From the hook hung a security jacket and below, sitting above the baggage spot were a pair of black shoes. In the bag area a simple dark red backpack sat.

 

Sirius and Remus exchanged a look. “Well?” Sirius prompted. “Any of this Harry’s?”

 

Remus spared a swift look at the day guard stuff but disregarded it immediately. The scents were completely foreign. It wasn’t Harry’s. However, the night guard’s side carried Harry’s scent for sure. He could smell his cub all over the locker. However, the uniform inside only held the faintest tint of Harry’s scent. He suspected that it was only because Harry’s stuff had been in the locker. His godson never wore those clothes. In fact he didn’t believe they had been worn before at all. Shrugging absent-mindedly, he glanced down at the backpack and as he did so he felt his heart rate accelerate. It was saturated in Harry’s scent. That bag belonged to his cub.

 

“The bag,” he replied. “It’s Harry’s.”

 

Sirius quickly grabbed it and started to pull stuff out. Remus went to join him until he spotted a shadow out the corner of his eye. Glancing back at the locker he noticed an odd shadow at the back, between the locker and the wall. At first he thought it might be a rat but he quickly realised it wasn’t the right shape for that. Crouching down he tentatively reached out and felt his hand brush against something wooden. A chill went down his spine as he gripped the object and pulled it out. As he did so he heard a clatter as another object fell out. Remus looked at the two items he had found and let out a strangled gasp. It was Harry’s wand and glasses and to make matters worse, they both were specked with dried blood.

 

A million terrible thoughts tumbled through his mind as he began to contemplate what this meant. Harry was missing, likely injured, without his wand or even his glasses. It wasn’t looking good for Harry right now. They had to find him, and soon.

 

Sirius calling his name got his attention and he shuffled round to see the dog animagus watching him curiously. “Sorry Pads, I was just thinking about something. What did you say?”

 

Sirius rolled his eyes before replying. “I said that this is definitely Harry’s bag. His clothes, wallet, muggle techno-thingy Hermione gave him, and even the Marauder’s Map and Invisibility Cloak are in here. His wallet still has money in it too so no one attacked him for cash.” Sirius explained.

 

Remus rolled his eyes at his friend in amusement. “That ‘techno-thingy’ is called a phone. It might be able to help us out actually.” He mused, wondering if Harry had possibly called someone before he went missing. He quickly grabbed the phone and tried to open it.

 

Sirius was about to ask him what he meant when he noticed what Remus had been holding. “What’s that you got there?”

 

Remus frowned for a second before he remembered his haunting discovery. Without a word he handed over Harry’s wand and glasses to Sirius. His friend went ghost-white at the sight before looking at him in panic. “Where did you find these?”

 

Remus pointed to the spot. “Behind the locker. They were pretty much out of sight so I guess whoever cleaned up in here missed them.”

 

Sirius gulped, staring at them for a little while longer before slipping them, along with the rest of Harry’s things, back into the backpack, leaving only the phone left out. Remus attempted to get into it but it was no good. The device was password protected and nearly out of battery anyway. He handed it to Sirius who packed it away before they both stood up and checked the time. It was getting late. The place would be closing soon. They needed to get going.

 

Sirius and Remus exchanged a loaded look. Remus could feel his unease rising as he processed everything he had seen. The blood, Harry’s bag, his wand, his glasses, the overbearing stench of bleach and the smell coming from those animatronics….the whole scenario screamed ‘cover-up’ and his godson was caught in the middle somewhere. The werewolf pushed back the bile rising in his throat as the worst-case possibilities swum through his head. At least one of them needed to keep a clear head and knowing Sirius, that role fell to him. He sighed as he took one last look around the Security Office and resigned himself to the knowledge that there were no clues here as to Harry’s current whereabouts. They were beginning to understand the ‘how’ but were still completely ignorant on the ‘who, what, when and where’. That left only one other option. Looking at Padfoot he knew he was thinking the same thing.

 

They needed to check out Harry’s room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the disillusionment charm doesn’t have an actual known incantation I made my own. The spell, ‘Absconda Patespectu’, is a combination of the Latin words ‘abscondam apud patet aspectu’ which translates to ‘hide in plain sight’.


	7. Chapter 6 - Past and Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay guys. Things have been very busy here. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

** Chapter 6 – Past and Present **

 

10th-11th July – Harry

 

Harry had to question his sanity sometimes. Willing facing potential death several times in the previous years, running off to the Ministry to save Sirius without any proof he was in danger in the first place and here he was now, back in the swirl chair, staring at the tablet blankly as he waited for midnight. He was sure returning to this place was the craziest thing he has ever done, especially after what he had learned earlier that day.

 

-Flashback-

 

Harry warily peaked around the corner into the living room. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were seated on the couch watching the television after the morning rush to the hospital. Vernon had not been happy about that but thankfully for Harry, Petunia had enough sense to remember that Harry couldn't receive the paycheck at the end of the week if he bled to death. They had gone to the hospital, had Harry's arm stitched up, and then Harry got a few hours sleep. Focusing back on the task at hand, he noticed that Dudley was nowhere in sight. Harry assumed he was out terrorising some innocent pre-teen again. He didn't care where his cousin was though. All that mattered was that everyone was busy. Show time!

 

As quietly as possible, Harry crept up the stairs into Dudley’s bedroom. He carefully shoved aside the junk on his cousin’s desk until he could see the computer. It was a very expensive model, the best of the best. Harry was pretty sure it was going to take him forever to figure out how to use it. He hoped his relatives wouldn’t notice he was missing.

 

After spending around twenty minutes trying to figure out how to use it, Harry was ready. He brought up a new search window and typed in ‘Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza’. Several websites popped up straight away. The first was the restaurant’s official webpage. Harry ignored that one, it wouldn’t tell him anything useful. The next was a restaurant review site. He passed over that one too. The third site though caught his attention. It was a newspaper article website. Clicking the link, Harry felt his excitement rise. _This might be just what I’m looking for!_

 

The page loaded and seven articles containing ‘Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza’ appeared on screen. Harry clicked on the earliest one. He skimmed through the article before closing it in disappointment. It was only advertising the grand opening of the pizza place. Still, he did learn one worthy fact. The restaurant the article talked about? It was in America and dated 23 years ago.

 

The next article was written roughly one year after the first and the title caught his attention straight away. **Death at Freddy’s!** Not the most creative title but still effective.

 

The article was long and a lot of the information wasn’t very useful. One paragraph though really caught his attention.

 

_‘….on Thursday afternoon customers at the much loved family restaurant were horrified to find the body of 7 year old Zack Wolloway lying on the footpath right outside the building. Young Mr Wolloway was stabbed three times in the neck and then left there to be found approximately half an hour after the attack. The killer has yet to be found but detectives believe that this was a planned killing. “The killer knew where all the security cameras on the street were and waited for a time when there were few people around to carry out this disgraceful crime. It is our belief that they murdered this child for a specific reason. What that is though has yet to be determined,” stated Detective G Midlow. Freddy Fazbear’s Pixzza denies any involvement in the crime and has agreed to cooperate fully with detectives as the investigation continues. The restaurant will remain closed until late next week both out of respect for the deceased and to help with the investigation….’_

 

Harry gaped in shock at the screen. _Someone was murdered outside the place?_ Harry shook his head in sadness. _Who would do such a horrible thing to a child?_ The next article was dated a few months later. It was short and mostly stated that the investigation into the murder of Zack Wolloway had gone cold and was being declared an unsolved case. It had a picture above it of a little boy standing by a lake in what Harry assumed was a park. It was a black and white image but Harry assumed the boy had black or very dark brown hair with light skin. He was clutching a camera in his right hand and positively beaming as his picture was taken. Harry felt a pang of grief for the poor boy. _He was so young…_

Harry paused as he continued to stare at the image of the child. _Zack...that name's familiar...and that face..._ Harry shook his head. _If it's important i'm sure it will come back to me later._

 

The next newspaper clipping was dated fifteen years after Zack’s murder and the title sent a chill down Harry’s spine. **Five Kid’s Declared Missing at Local Pizzeria!**

 

The clipping spoke about how five children had gone missing at Freddy’s while attending a birthday party. The birthday boy himself was one of the five. Another child attending the celebration had told police he saw a ‘golden bear’ leading his friends away to a room in the back. The kids hadn’t been found but the suspect had been arrested. Harry was shocked to say the least. _How could five kids just go missing without a trace like that? Unless, was magic involved? Possibly…._ Harry frowned. None of this made sense.

 

Harry read over the list of names, committing them all to memory.

 

Hail, Sarah – 7 years old

Swanborn, Marcus – 8 years old

Meadows, Dean – 9 years old

Ravenbark, Cody – 7 years old

 

And the birthday boy himself….

 

Willwood, Ryan – 9 years old

 

Harry bowed his head in a moment of respectful silence before moving onto the next newspaper clipping. The article was talking about how the business was struggling after the disappearance of the five kids followed by another about the place being threatened to be shut down due to health violations. Harry nearly went right past that one but something in the article caught his eye. _“reanimated carcasses.”_

 

Harry stared at the quote for what he was sure must have been at least five minutes. _Reanimated carcasses._ The words kept spinning around in his head. _The kids go missing, the bodies were never found and then this?_ He pulled himself from his stupor and read the article. _Foul odour, blood and mucus?_ He felt his stomach turning. Was it possible that the murderous animatronics and the missing kids were connected? _There are only four animatronics though and it said five kids had gone missing. And what about Zack? Was he connected at all?_

 

The last article was about the eventual closure of the pizzeria. Apparently business was never able to recover after the word got out about the missing kids. Harry was about to close the page when something caught his eye. It was another article sitting under a ‘suggested’ sign. Harry frowned and opened it. The article was titled **The Bite of ’87.** Harry quite audibly gasped as the title hit him like a ton of bricks. _The Bite of ’87! That’s what Cawthon mentioned on night 1!_ Harry’s momentary elation over finally finding something that connected directly to something he had heard quickly vanished as he remembered exactly what the elusive phone guy had told him about the incident. He suddenly wasn’t so sure he wanted to hear anything more about The Bite but pushed on anyway. If it helped him learn more about the place….

 

The clipping talked about an incident that took place in a ‘brother location’ to Freddy’s called ‘Fredbear’s Family Diner’. The restaurant apparently closed down shortly after an 8-year-old boy named Thomas Clawford was bitten by Fredbear in the head, removing his frontal lobe. The boy survived the attack but was permanently disabled, both physically and mentally, and suffered severe night terrors about the incident. Harry stared at the image of Fredbear. This one was in colour and it was easy to make out the goldish-yellow fur. Harry thought back to the article of the missing kids and how apparently a ‘golden bear’ had lead them away. Was it possible Fredbear was involved? Was the costume used by the murderer? Could the animatronics fur even be removed as a costume? Harry shook his head. The dates fit but still there were so many missing links.

 

He closed the computer and crept out of the room as silently as possible. Next stop was the cupboard under the stairs. He hoped the Dursleys wouldn't see him looking through his school things. He really needed his wand for tonight. As he got ready to retrieve his wand, he found himself still reeling over everything that he read. Freddy's was proving to be a much more sinister place then he thought.

 

-End Flashback-

 

Harry groaned as he thought back on the horrific news articles. He hadn’t known how to print anything out but he did make up a timeline of events and wrote down all the notes he needed. _Hermione would be proud_ he mused ruefully. He still had a lot to think over but he would figure it out tomorrow. Right now, he just needed to survive the night.

 

Harry’s eyes flickered down to the tablet where his wand perched by its side. It had been a challenge to retrieve the wand from the locked cupboard but he managed to find it just a few minutes before his uncle came waddling in, roaring at him about ‘arriving late’ and ‘disrespectful little brats’. He was grateful he had found it and only hoped he wouldn’t actually need it. He remembered all too well what happened last time he used his wand outside of school. He wasn’t risking expulsion unless it was absolutely necessary. Still, he felt a lot safer with it here.

 

Just then the clock struck twelve and sure enough, the phone rang. Harry wondered what Cawthon possibly had to tell him this time as he picked up the receiver.

 

“Hello, hello?”

 

“Hello, hello.” Harry answered amusedly as he began flicking through the tablet.

 

“Hey you're doing great!” came Cawthon’s cheerful voice.

 

Harry smiled despite himself and replied in a chipper tone “Thanks mate.”

 

“Most people don’t last this long. I mean, you know, they usually move on to other things by now.” Harry rolled his eyes at the very poor attempt at backtracking, also feeling rather uneasy at the obvious hint of previous employees falling victim to the animatronics.

 

“I'm not implying that they died. Th-th-that’s not what I meant.”

 

“Of course not.” Harry muttered, checking the right door light.

 

“Uh, anyway I better not take up too much of your time. Things start getting real tonight.”

 

Harry’s movements faltered slightly at that, the familiar feelings of unease bubbling in his chest. _What’s that supposed to mean? Things start getting real tonight?_

 

“Uh... Hey, listen, I had an idea: if you happen to get caught and want to avoid getting stuffed into a Freddy suit, uhh, try playing dead!”

 

Harry blinked. _Play dead?_

 

“You know, go limp. Then there's a chance that, uh, maybe they’ll think that you're an empty costume instead.”

 

Harry frowned uneasily. “I don’t think that’d be such a great idea,” he said quietly.

 

“…Then again if they think you're an empty costume, they might try to... stuff a metal skeleton into you. I wonder how that would work.”

 

Harry grimaced at the idea. He wouldn’t like either of those things to happen quite frankly.

 

“Yeah, never mind, scratch that. It's best just not to get caught.” Cawthon amended meekly.

 

Harry shook his head. “Yeah, I figured as much.”

 

“Um... Ok, I'll leave you to it. See you on the flip side.” Cawthon finished in his cheery tone followed by the message clicking off.

 

Harry smiled slightly and murmured in reply. “Yeah, see you on the flip side.”

 

The room once again descended into the eerie quite of night before being broken by Freddy’s creepy laughter. Harry sighed before picking up the tablet again. _Bring it!_

 

…………………………………………………………

 

“Fuck!” Harry swore as he slammed the door on Bonnie with only a mere second to spare. He hissed in frustration before picking up the tablet again. It had been the same routine for three hours now.

 

Cameras.

 

Light.

 

Cameras.

 

Bonnie!

 

Door.

 

Cameras.

 

Light.

 

Cameras.

 

Light.

 

Chica!

 

Door.

 

Cameras.

 

Light.

 

Bonnie!

 

Door.

 

Cameras.

 

FOXY!

 

Door.

 

Cameras.

 

The cycle was repetitive but Harry found it hard to be bored. Scared shitless and angry? Sure, no problem. Bored? Not a chance. Despite the routine he did learn something new though. Freddy had finally moved off the stage. He wasn't sure what to make of that. It was a relief in an odd way to see the bloody bear do something for once. However, Freddy was good at staying out of sight; a very troubling fact. It was just gone three am now and he was beginning to feel the weary exhaustion start to slow his movements. How did the previous night guards keep this up?

 

He glanced at the camera again in annoyance. Bugs Bunny was back in his closet again. Foxy was getting ready for another run. _Oh joy!_ He snorted sarcastically. Freddy was perving outside the girl’s bathroom again. He didn’t need to check the cameras to know Chica was smashing stuff in the kitchen.

 

He was just putting the tablet down to prepare for Foxy’s run when he saw something out the corner of his eye. It was camera 2B open on the tablet and at first nothing seemed out of place. However, when his eyes flickered up to the poster on the wall, he froze. Staring back at him was not the usual poster of Freddy Fazbear. Instead it was an up close picture of a golden bear face.

 

Startled Harry dropped the tablet and shouted when he saw a figure standing in the corner. It was Freddy! Or at least it looked like Freddy. Harry gaped at the sight of the golden-furred bear with a microphone loosely clasped in his right paw. He had what appeared to be either a dark blue or black top hat and bow tie and greatly resembled the restaurant mascot. What really freaked him out though was the way he sat slumped like a dead body and that where his eyes should be were two empty, black pits with a white pinprick of light in the centre of each eye socket. He looked demonic and it was only then that Harry noticed the strange, giggling coming from the bear. It was a high-pitched child’s laugh and just about the creepiest thing Harry had ever heard.

 

Without thinking, Harry scooped up the tablet and covered his face, certain the bear was going to attack. After all, they would attack when they got into the office. The only thing that saved him from Freddy on night one was the six am bell and that was a good two and a half hours away. He waited, and waited, and waited. Nothing. Slowly he lowered the tablet and peaked over the top. The bear was gone. Harry slowly shook his head in bewilderment.

 

“What the fuck just happened?” he muttered to himself. _How did it get in here?_ He glanced around and only just realised the doors were both still closed. Cursing he quickly opened them both after checking for animatronics. Sitting back down he thought over what happened. _Did I just imagine that? Maybe this job is getting to me more then I initially thought? I mean, there isn’t another bear here and there is no way that was Freddy._

 

He picked up the tablet again and flicked over to camera 2B. Sure enough, the poster was back the way it normally was. After checking every single camera and not finding a single trace of the golden bear Harry admitted defeat. Maybe I am losing it?

 

He glanced down at his wand, thus far untouched that night. It was then he remembered the newspaper articles from earlier and felt his stomach churn. Was that Fredbear? Or the costume used to lead the kids away? Or both?

 

Harry glanced at the watch and saw the time. 3:27am.

 

It was going to be a long night.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Cameras.

 

Light.

 

Foxy singing.

 

Cameras.

 

Bonnie!

 

Door.

 

Singing’s stopped.

 

Freddy laughing.

 

Cameras.

 

Light.

 

Banging from the kitchen.

 

Cameras.

 

Light.

 

Groaning.

 

Chica!

 

Door.

 

Cameras.

 

Light.

 

Bonnie!

 

Door.

 

Freddy laughing.

 

Footsteps.

 

Cameras.

 

FOXY!

 

Door.

 

Cameras.

 

Harry collapsed back in his chair with a groan of exhaustion. _Is tonight ever going to end?_ Looking down at his watch he saw it was just on 5am. He sighed. _One more hour to go._

 

He opened the West Hall door after making sure Foxy was gone and picked up the tablet. He only had 20% power left. _As long as Foxy stays away I should be fine._

 

He flicked through the cameras, deciding to ignore 2B for tonight, and ended up on the East Hall 4B camera when something else caught his eye. Remembering what happened with the Freddy poster just two hours earlier he cautiously glanced at the wall and blinked in shock. The rules poster that had grabbed his attention on his first night here was gone and instead it was a newspaper clipping.

 

Harry frowned and pulled the tablet closer in a bid to try and read the tiny writing. He was stunned when he realised it was about the Missing Children’s Incident. There wasn’t anything written in the article that was different to what he already knew but to see it here in the restaurant….

 

_Surely they can’t want people seeing that? It can’t be good for business even if it did happen in America, not here._

 

Harry jumped as he heard a groaning sound coming from his left. _Bonnie!_ He slammed his fist into the door button and checked just to make sure it was indeed closed. Satisfied, he went to look at the camera again and found another surprise. The Rules poster was back and the newspaper clipping was nowhere to be seen.

 

He gaped in bewilderment. _Where’d it go?_

 

Harry checked the camera again but it still wasn’t there. He ran a hand through his hair and lowered the tablet to the table. _First the golden bear and now the newspaper clipping? What the hell is wrong with this place tonight?_

 

He could hear the footsteps coming down the East Hall now just as the circus music started up again. No time to worry about it now.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

6am arrived with just 1% power to spare and now Harry was dressed and ready for the tedious walk home. He grabbed his wand, slipping it into his pocket, and headed down the East Hall. He scanned the floor but found no sign of any fallen newspaper articles anywhere. He was just passing the Manager’s Office when an idea popped into his head.

 

He had already decided that he needed to confront Davis about this place and the animatronics. He needed to know what the hell the guy was thinking keeping murderous robots here in a family pizza place and who else would know better then the manager himself? However, he knew the likelihood of getting any answers out of the guy was slim at best.

 

Stopping at the door to the office he briefly considered the risk he was taking. _If I get caught I’ll be worse then fired. Hell, if this guy knows about the animatronics then who knows what he will do if he catches me snooping. Still, this might be my only chance…._

 

Deciding to go for it, he checked the door and was delighted to find it unlocked. He stepped inside and gently pulled the door shut behind him. The office looked exactly the same as it did when he was here last week for his interview. _Well, if I can even call it an interview….._

 

He quickly scurried over to the desk and scanned all the papers. He saw his own employee file on top with a whole bunch of other meaningless documents. He even found the guys shopping list. There was nothing there of any interest.

 

Tugging open the draws he saw more employee files. He recognised all the names of the cooks, cleaning and wait staff. He even found Tracy’s file and the day guard, Nicholas Carrington’s. He didn’t open any of the files, knowing it was all private information, and shuffled through the rest of the papers. There was nothing of importance though. Huffing in annoyance he tried to pull open the last draw.

 

Locked.

 

Harry smirked. _If it’s locked then there must be something important inside. Something he doesn’t want anyone else seeing._ Unwilling to risk expulsion over a simple unlocking charm, Harry grabbed a paperclip off the desk and used it to trick the lock. Sliding the draw open he groaned at the sight of more employee files. He was about to give up and close the draw when the name on the first file caught his eye.

 

Scott Cawthon.

 

Harry frowned. He knew Cawthon no longer worked here so what was his file still doing here? Curious and telling himself it was purely for investigative purposes, he opened the file. Overlooking the personal details he went down to the employment records and found that Cawthon had been here for quite a while. _1992._ Harry remembered seeing that date before. _Ah, yes. This place opened in ’92._

 

He skimmed through the rest until he saw something at the bottom that caught his eye. It was a timesheet caught at the bottom. It was dated last week. Harry noticed that Cawthon had turned up every day for the last week but when it got to Thursday, things got strange. Cawthon had signed in but didn’t sign out at the end of his shift. He didn’t turn up on Friday at all by the look of things either. Scribbled at the end of the file, next to the date of termination was a hand written note. ‘Not Found.’

 

Harry felt a knot of concern settle in his chest. Did something happen to the previous night guard? He looked down at the next file and saw the name Melissa Hopkin. He flipped open the file and found a similar thing to what Cawthon’s said. She had apparently been the night guard before Cawthon took over. She too was listed as ‘Not Found’.

 

He looked through the files and was finding a trend very quickly. The files all stated the same thing. The night guard either quit after one week’s employment or never lasted the week. The only exception to the one-week rule had been Cawthon. There were too many files to count but he found that they all dated back to the opening of Freddy’s here in 1992. None of the files from the business overseas were here. Harry had no doubt though that there were many more files like this for the American branches as well.

 

Harry put all the files back the way he found them and put the draw back, locking it in the process. He snagged his bag from the chair and left the office quickly, mind reeling. _How can that many people go missing and not one person have anything to say about it? Is no one suspicious?_

 

Harry had learnt a lot about this place in the last 24 hours and yet still felt like he was only scratching the surface of a long hidden, dark secret. He made a mental note to talk to Hermione tonight. Maybe she could dig up some more information. He would also confront Davis tomorrow after he had the chance to think everything through. One thing was for sure though.

 

He would not become yet another file locked away in that draw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there we have it.
> 
> I just want to clear up a few things. I know Fredbear’s Family Diner and the Bite of ’87 happened a while before the other events but it didn’t fit in with the timeline for the story. Therefore, I made Fredbear’s another location that was running at the same time as Freddy’s.
> 
> Anyway, I think that just about cover’s it up. The next chapters are going to be quite exciting. Things will really start to get intense.
> 
> See you all on the flip side!


	8. Chapter 7 - Dead End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I’m very sorry about the delay in this chapter. It was a difficult one to write. Good news though; school holidays are almost here so I will have plenty of time to write! The next chapter should also be easy to write. Anyway, I won’t hold you up any longer. Enjoy the chapter!

** Chapter 7 – Dead End **

 

18th July – Sirius & Remus

 

Sirius marched up the path to the Dursley home, face set into a determined scowl. He could hear the hurried footfalls behind him and Remus’ frustrated whisper-shouts of “Stop, Padfoot!” and “It’s too early!” but he ignored them. He couldn’t care less if the Dursley’s were upset about being woken up at six in the morning. If they knew what was good for them they’d stay out of his way.

 

He reached the door and slammed his fist against the wood three times before Remus finally caught up with him. “Padfoot, are you crazy? Its six in the bloody morning!”

 

Sirius scowled at the werewolf, stunned that Remus was so worried about the time after what they just found. “So? Who gives a shit Moony! Harry could be hurt or worse and…!”

 

Remus glared at him with an exasperated look. “Sirius, I was going to suggest we sneak in so we don’t have to waste time dealing with them!”

 

Sirius blinked in surprise, feeling his face flush in embarrassment. _Why didn’t I think of that?_ He opened his mouth to give a snarky reply when the door to number four flung open. The two wizards found themselves face to face with an enraged Vernon Dursley.

 

The whale-like man glowered furiously at the two……people standing on his doorstep. “What the fuck are you doing here? We told you already, the boy’s gone! And good riddance too!”

 

Remus sensed it coming before the muggle did and grabbed Sirius around the waist before he could lunge at Vernon. Remus supressed a frustrated growl and instead declared as calmly as he could. “We have reason to believe Harry might be in trouble. We would like to see his room in case there are any clues as to what might have happened.”

 

Vernon’s face, which had already been a moderate shade of pink, went a bright purple. Remus had to wonder if the man was about to have a heart attack. “Absolutely not! I will not have freaks in my house! It’s bad enou….!”

 

Sirius had had enough. He pulled his wand out of his pocket and before Dursley could blink, it was poking into his neck. “One more word Dursley! I dare you!” Sirius whispered in the most menacing tone he could muster.

 

Dursley gulped before shuffling to the side, giving a weak gesture of welcome as he went. Sirius needed no further invitation. He was flying up the stairs before Remus could blink.

 

Meeting the dog animagus at the top of the stairs, Remus felt his heart thumping faster. This was the moment of truth. If there was nothing to be found then he had no idea where they could go from here. They had the location but could they really afford to stalk the place in the hope they might find something? The person who did this might not even have anything to do with Freddy’s!

 

Sirius had stopped outside their pup’s door and was merely staring at the old, white wooden door with peeling paint. Remus joined him and for just a few moments they stood there; lost in thought and silently hoping for a miracle. Finally, the sandy-blonde turned to Sirius. “You ready?”

 

Sirius slowly nodded, reaching for the brass handle. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

 

The first thing that came to Sirius’ mind as he took in his godson’s room was, _I’m going to kill those fucking bastards!_ The room was not even close to what Sirius had been expecting, let alone what he wanted it to be. It was unbelievably bare, not anything like what one would expect a teen’s room to look like. It had an old, rickety bed; a wardrobe that was losing its door and a splintering desk where Hedwig’s cage currently sat, empty. The walls were blue and had nothing on them. Not a poster, banner or picture in sight. In fact, the only other things in the room besides clothes were Harry’s school trunk at the foot of the bed, a lamp and a picture of Lily and James on his bedside table.

 

Sirius was so caught up in outrage that the growling took him by surprise. Remus’ teeth were bared as he scanned the room, eyes molten amber. It was clear to see he wasn’t the only one furious with Harry’s relatives. However, as the anger wore off a bit, something else about the room caught his eye. There didn’t appear to be any clues here…..at all. No newspapers, no letters, no signs of a disturbance.

 

Nothing.

 

Sirius felt like lead from despair. There just had to be something, anything! If not then they had to start from scratch and they couldn’t afford that. He found himself back at the pizzeria; the blood, the doors, Harry’s things……No, they couldn’t afford a set back. They needed a direction to go in!

 

Remus seemed way ahead of him. The werewolf was already searching the draws in the desk, mumbling under his breath inaudibly. Sirius quickly followed his example and checked the wardrobe. A quick search revealed that all that was there was clothing. Closing the doors as best he could, he wandered over to the desk to join Remus. However, that turned out to be a dead end too.

 

The two wizards sank down onto the bed, defeated. “What now?” Sirius mumbled. The only option he could see was heading back to Freddy’s. However, they had checked every inch of that office. Had there been any more signs as to where Harry had gone, they would have found it.

 

“I guess the only thing we can do….” Remus began before breaking off as an unexpected scent caught his attention. It was Harry’s scent, yes. It was all over the room in varies states of fading. However, from under the bed, he could pick it up stronger then before. He could also smell….Hermione? Ignoring Sirius’ questions, Remus slid off the bed and crawled under it. Scanning the floor, he was surprised and admittedly impressed to find a loose floorboard. _Harry, you genius!_

 

He lifted up the loose floorboard and reached inside. He quickly pulled out a stack of papers and parchment, put them to the side and went back to grab the rest; books, packages of food and some writing supplies. Once everything was cleared out he placed it all on the floor beside Harry’s bed. Sirius dropped to the floor next to him with a grin. “Brilliant Moony! How’d you know he hid stuff there?”

 

Remus just smirked. “Moony can be very helpful when he wants to be.”

 

Without any further discussion they began to sort through the findings. They had already pushed the quills, ink wells, pens, and spare bits of parchment and paper aside. They began to suspect Harry hid that stuff there so he could do homework during the holidays without being caught. They also quickly discarded Harry’s school books. They were of no use either. Neither even wanted to began to think of why Harry felt the need to hide food so the packages were put to the side along with the other unneeded items. That left them with two books and a large stack of papers and parchment. Putting the books aside for now, Remus divided up the stack and they began to silently read through it. Most of the parchment appeared to merely be school work and quickly joined the rest of the stuff. However, one bit of parchment Remus found appeared to be a letter from Hermione.

 

He considered putting it aside too, he didn’t want to invade Harry’s privacy after all. However, he decided to read it anyway. Maybe there was something of use there. If Harry felt he needed help or advice, Hermione was one of the likely people he would have turned to. If it was a personal letter he would put it down. Without further hesitation he began to read:

 

Dear Harry,

 

I’m glad to see you have finally decided to write these holidays; although, I would have preferred for a better reasons. Nonetheless, I hope the rest of your holiday has been okay. How is Sirius? Have you heard anything about how he is going yet? I myself haven’t done much and Ron has apparently just been ‘chilling’ at home.

 

Anyway, I looked into the place like you asked. Freddy’s does have a darker past them I originally would have assumed but most of what I managed to find is the same stuff you did. I was however able to dig up something interesting. There have been a number of missing persons case attached to that place. They try to deflect the attention off themselves of course and a lot of these people are those that come from troubled families, have financial issues, criminal records and mental health problems. A lot of people seem to assume they ran away or committed suicide. I don’t think a lot of effort has gone into finding them at all.

 

What’s also intriguing is the number of ex-night shift workers who were diagnosed with insomnia, PTSD, persecutory delusions, psychosis and sleep terrors. All the files are attached. I just can’t believe that no one is looking into any of this! Harry, I don’t know exactly what is going on there but I do know this. Leave it. Whatever it is it’s just too dangerous this time. You can’t save everyone Harry and I don’t want to see you get hurt because of this.

 

Write to me again soon and tell me how it all goes. Just be safe, okay?

 

Hermione

 

Remus stared at the letter in shock for a little while before glancing down at the papers below. Sure enough, it was a stack of records on past employees. Missing person’s reports, psychological records, newspaper articles on various incidents. It was all there. Remus didn’t want to know how Hermione gained access to all of these. Some things were best left be.

 

Sirius’ pile seemed to be the stuff Harry must have found. As curious as he was, he left Sirius to look through it. He seemed very deeply engrossed in whatever it was he was sorting through. Deciding to check the last two books instead, he pulled them over and scanned the titles.

 

_Spirits: The Encyclopaedia of the Deceased_

 

_Ghosts, Spirits and Demons – What is the Difference?_

 

Remus stared at the cover uncomprehendingly. It is clear these were muggle books. The illustrations of the covers were not accurate at all as far as he knew. He had never seen a ghost with black eyes or with any colour in its form. Harry, having seen plenty of ghosts at Hogwarts, should know this. So what was with the books?

 

He flicked through the pages, briefly skimming tales of supposed hauntings and descriptions of different kinds of ghosts. It was then that he noticed, in Spirits: The Encyclopaedia of the Deceased, that a page had been dog-eared. Turning to it, he was surprised to see the chapter title. Ghost Possession. Remus turned the page to read what it said, beyond curious as to why this seemed to have gotten Harry’s attention, when Sirius interrupted him.

 

“Merlin….”

 

Remus turned and saw Sirius leaning back against the wall, head in his eyes and releasing a long breath. “What?” Remus inquired.

 

Sirius didn’t say anything as he gestured to the news articles. Remus picked them up and read through each one in growing horror. He read the story of the murder of Zack Wolloway and how the killer was never discovered. He also learnt of the ‘Missing Children Incident’, the sanitation concerns and ‘The Bite of ‘87’.

 

Remus felt numb as he lowered the papers to the floor. Everything was starting to click into place. The stories of the kids, the missing persons reports, the books and the tagged chapter on ghost possessions, ‘reanimated carcasses’, the bite, the mental trauma all the ex-employees had suffered? It was all fitting together to paint a truly terrifying picture. And yet there were still so many gaps.

 

Sirius looked up at Remus as the other man tried to process what he had just read. Leaning over, the animagus shakily pulled Hermione’s letter and the other documents over. He read through it all in silence. Finally he glanced back at the letter, reading Hermione’s warning. _Harry, I don’t know exactly what is going on there but I do know this. Leave it. Whatever it is its just too dangerous this time._

 

Hermione was right but apparently, Harry hadn’t agreed. Sirius growled in fear and exasperation. _Why couldn’t you just leave it Harry?_ Sirius already knew the answer though. His godson wanted to know what happened. He wanted to solve the mystery before anyone else got hurt. Sirius groaned. _Harry……_

 

The sound of Petunia shouting at Vernon downstairs broke both wizards out of their stupor. After packing everything else away; Sirius gathered up all Harry and Hermione’s notes on Freddy’s while Remus picked up the books. As an after thought, Sirius also snatched up Harry’s picture of his parents.

 

Neither spoke for the longest time. All the evidence that was supposed to help them find Harry was making it look less and less likely that Harry was even alive anymore. He knew it and he could see by Remus teary eyes he knew it too. “What do we do?” Sirius croaked.

 

Remus sighed mournfully. “I don’t know Padfoot…..”

 

“I just don’t know….”


	9. Chapter 8 - Save Them, Save Him, You Can't

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup everyone! I know it’s been a little while but this chapter was a bitch to write. It took a lot of days to get it to come out just the way I wanted. Not to mention I had my HSC trials on top of this. Anyone from Australia would know what I’m talking about. Anyway, despite the delay here it is! An extra long chapter with a lot of excitement!
> 
> First things first though…
> 
> So, I realised I made a few mistakes with the previous chapters. For starters, the dates were all messed up and inconsistent. That has now been fixed. Secondly, the child mentioned in the papers name is supposed to be Zack Wolloway, not Jonathon. I also went back through the chapters and edited out some grammatical and spelling errors but nothing major has been changed. Feel free to go back and have a look though if you like. An updated timeline has been added at the end of this chapter anyway so you can catch up on events there. BE WARNED, the timeline also details what occurs in this chapter, so SPOILER ALERT! 
> 
> The last few scenes in this chapter detail some pretty extreme blood and gore. I’m giving you fair warning now. Read at your own risk. Once you get up to that part I’m pretty sure you will know what is going to happen anyway so it isn’t necessary to read it if you don’t want to.

** Chapter 8 – Save Them, Save Him, You Can’t **

 

11th-12th July – Harry

 

“Alright Hermione, thanks…..yeah, will do…..bye.”

 

Harry groaned, rubbing his temple in a poor attempt to stave off the impending headache. He chucked his phone in his backpack, kicking his feet up onto the desk as he waited out the final few minutes to eleven o’clock. Hermione had sent him a letter and package that afternoon about Freddy’s with what information she could find inside. Of course, she had to call him before his shift as well to tell him off for not calling her sooner. Never mind the fact he hadn’t had her number since her phone was new.

 

Harry fiddled absent-mindedly with the can of soft drink on his desk as he went over all he had discovered that day about Freddy’s. The newspaper articles, the missing persons reports, the books about ghosts…

 

He was starting to put it all together but he still knew there were some major gaps in his conclusions. So far it looked like the children had been murdered at one of the other pizzerias in the restaurant chain and their spirits had possessed the animatronics, which had been brought here. The spirits were confused, angry and probably scared as well. They wanted revenge for what happened to them and where murdering the night guards when the suits were left to roam at night.

 

It made sense in its own bizarre way but there were some inconsistencies. Like, why did they attack the night guards? Was the only reason because they were there after hours or did they specifically target the night guards? Where was the sixth child if he had only seen a total of five animatronics? The kids……

 

He now remembered why little Zack Wolloway seemed familiar. When he had arrived he had gone past the exact same spot where he saw that little boy on his first night. The child crying in the hall, the one who introduced himself merely as ‘Zack’, was the boy mentioned in the paper. It had taken a bit of thought but nothing else matched. The similarities were too much to just be a coincidence. It was how he came to the realisation that the animatronics were possessed in the first place. Zack was dead; he knew that, so the child he spoke to that night had to have been a ghost. One that he had never heard of before. _A type of ghost that can inhabit objects in order to murder people….._

 

Harry shook his head with a frustrated sigh. This all seemed so crazy to him and yet it could only be the truth. It made him wonder though how no one investigated this place. Surely Mr Davis had to know what was going on…..?

 

Mr Davis. He was the reason Harry was here an hour early. He had called the manager after his shift earlier that day and asked him to come in so they could talk. He had been doubtful it would work but the pudgy man had surprisingly agreed to his request.

 

The clock ticked over to eleven and instantly the pizzeria descended into low power mode, the stage before the backup generators would kick in at midnight to keep the place running until six on what Mr Davis had referred to as ‘night mode’. Harry rolled his eyes and stepped out of the office, strolling down the West Hall towards the Dining Area where he could hear Mr Davis waddling around. _Well, at least he’s on time…._

 

The wizard mentally prepared himself for what he was sure would be a frustrating conversation and then he strolled into the Dining Area. Sure enough, Davis was ambling toward the West Hall and stumbled to a halt when he spotted his Security Guard waiting for him. “Mr Porter! There you are! You said you wished to discuss something?”

 

Harry frowned. “It’s Potter and yes, I did.”

 

“Right, right. Well, let’s make this quick then. Your shift will be starting soon after all.” Davis muttered, taking a seat at one of the tables. Harry followed him and sat down opposite the portly manager. “Well,” Davis continued, “what did you wish to say?”

 

Harry shifted awkwardly in his seat. He honestly had no idea where to begin. _Well, I better figure it our fast._ “Alright, well I want to know first off what you know about the animatronics here. How much do you know about how they act after hours?” It wasn’t the smoothest way to start this conversation, he knew that, but subtlety wasn’t his speciality. He much preferred the blunt and to-the-point method.

 

Davis’ jaw dropped, flabbergasted for a moment, before he forced himself to recover. “Well…..I think we both already know the answer to that Mr Potter.”

 

Harry glowered. _Not the answer I was looking for…._ “Yes, we do. What I really want to understand is _why?_ If you really do know what is going on, why haven’t you stopped it? Those animatronics are deadly and yet you still leave employees here over night! Not to mention that those killer furies are around children all day! Wouldn’t it be better to have them destroyed?”

 

Davis’ face went red with anger. Harry lent backwards in his chair in alarm, reminded unsettlingly of Vernon. “Destroyed? _Destroyed?!_ Do you have any idea what that would do to this place? Freddy’s relies on those animatronics to bring in business! _They_ are what set us apart! Without them, _we are nothing!_ ”

 

“They’ve fucking killed people!” Harry shouted back, unable to believe this guy. _What the fuck is his problem?_ “They nearly killed me, several times now actually! You think that’s okay?”

 

Davis gave him an unimpressed look, as if he were talking to a small child who just couldn’t understand something as simple as one plus one equals two. “Its hardly my fault if they couldn’t handle it. I provided the cameras, the doors, the lights. They were given a fair chance. If they failed; well, too bad.”

 

Harry pushed back from the table and began to pace, shaking his head in disbelief. He couldn’t believe this guy. _Fair? How is any of this fair? The night guards weren’t told what they would be facing. How many of them probably died on their first night, unprepared for the horror they would face?_

 

Harry wanted to punch Davis but forced himself to calm down a little. There would be time for that later. Right now, he wanted his answers. “What about the children?”

 

Davis stared at him in confusion. “What about the children? The animatronics are only left on free roaming at night. They can’t hurt anyon….”

 

“That’s not what I meant and you know it!” Harry snarled, green eyes blazing like liquid fire.

 

Davis lost his look of innocent confusion and gazed at him coldly. “My, my; you have been doing your research haven’t you? I don’t think any night guard has bothered to do this much snooping since Cawthon.”

 

Harry blinked. “Cawthon?”

 

Davis laughed darkly. “Yes, Cawthon. He’s worked here for many years of course. Started out as a waiter, then the day guard. It was fine for a while. He was a good employee; did his job, took his paycheck and kept quiet. It wasn’t until about a year ago that he really took notice of all the disappearances. He was getting suspicious, looking into things he wasn’t supposed to. I couldn’t just fire him after that; give him the chance to run to the police or the press. No, so about two months ago I moved him to the night shift. I didn’t expect him to last a week, let alone two months. However, neither did the animatronics. They got worse by the week according to him. I knew it would only be a matter of time before they got him.”

 

Harry felt sick just looking at the manager’s sadistic grin. “Why didn’t he quit?”

 

Davis smirked. “Why didn’t you? He wanted to solve the mystery. He didn’t want someone else to get hurt. He was a genuinely good guy. Foolish, but good.”

 

Harry thought back to the phone calls. “Yeah, I know he didn’t. The phone calls were genius on his part. At least he showed some compassion. More then you could ever say.”

 

Davis’ grin dropped; replaced by outrage and surprise. “What phone calls? That phone in your office is on a closed circuit. It can only be used to contact the Manager’s Office, Kitchen and Reception Desk.”

 

Harry raised an eyebrow. “The phone in the office had some recorded messages on it from Cawthon; instructing the night guards on how to last the night. Each one starts at midnight.”

 

Davis shook his head in befuddlement. “That’s not possible. He hasn’t been here since last Thursday and I checked the phone on the weekend. Completely cleared everything off it. By that I mean call records. You can’t leave recorded messages, only voicemail, and those have to be selected to be replayed. They also automatically disappear after two days.”

 

Harry hmmmm’d contemplatively. _So, if those messages cannot just be left, where did they come from? It wasn’t a phone call, its not voicemail, so what?_

 

Davis continued his rant, “Trust bloody Cawthon to try and ruin everything. What else did that fucking backstabber tell you?”

 

Harry smiled smugly at the other man’s obvious distress. _He’s afraid of what I might know. Good, I might be able to use this._ “Oh, bits and pieces. I’m sure nothing I tell you would be anything you don’t already know.”

 

Davis snarled, lumbering to his feet with rage. “So, what are you going to do about all this, hmmmm? Were you planning on telling the police? Do you really think they will believe you?”

 

Harry crossed his arms. “And what if I was? What are you going to do about it? You’re the one illegally putting your staff and customers in danger!” Harry knew he was taking a risk in threatening the man but it was obvious that something had to be done. This guy was unhinged and had no concern whatsoever for others safety. He only cared about the money the animatronics brought him.

 

Davis gave him a sly grin. Harry forced himself to not flinch, even though he was feeling a little anxious now. The look in Davis’ eyes made him begin to think that he had missed something important. _But what…?_ He slipped his hand into his pocket, wrapping his fingers around the familiar wand, feeling a lot safer knowing he could use it if he needed to. “Maybe but the police will be easy enough to deal with. You think you’d be the only one who went running to the authorities? It’s easy enough to make then forget, you know? All it takes is _just one word._ ”

 

Harry froze mid-pace as he stared at the man’s Cheshire cat grin. _Does he mean….?_

 

Davis pulled his hand out from behind his back, brandishing a magic wand. Harry choked as the air was knocked from his lungs like punch to the chest. _He’s a wizard?!_

 

Davis laughed, “Oh, yes. I’m a wizard and I know exactly who you are, Harry Potter. I just couldn’t believe my luck when the boy who killed my master waltzed in her looking for a job!”

 

Harry suddenly felt numb as the weight of this situation finally hit him. He’d been played all along. Davis knew exactly who he was, what he wanted. It was all a sick game. “Your master…”

 

The Death Eater sauntered forward, looking utterly pleased. “Yes, Lord Voldemort; the greatest wizard of all time, the one you killed! No matter though, no matter. I will get revenge on his behalf tonight. You won’t be leaving here alive. Hell, you won’t be leaving here at all!”

 

“I-I,” Harry stuttered, “I don’t understand. If you’re a Death Eater then why…?”

 

“Why this? The restaurant in a filthy muggle town? The robots? The cover-ups? Answer me this boy; why would I tell you? You’re going to die so what does it matter? If you’re so unbearably smart that you could kill a wizard far more powerful and skilled then you I am sure you can figure it out.”

 

Harry went to answer but a stunner flew past his head. Davis raised his wand, ready to strike again. “Enough talk, it’s nearing midnight and I’m out of here. Watching the bots is your job, not mine.”

 

Harry watched him for a moment, considering his next move, before he smirked as an idea came to mind. He lunged toward the Death Eater, shifting into his wolf animagus form as he did so. He mentally cheered in victory when he saw the bewildered look on the man’s face. _I’ve got you now Davis!_ However, his delight was shattered when Davis recovered far quicker then he had hoped. Just as he was about to reach him, the manager had raised his wand again and then it was too late to turn back.

 

“Stupefy!” Davis bellowed.

 

Harry yelped as he was flung back, crashing into the wall with a massive thud. He whimpered as stars danced before his eyes and the floor seemed to sway beneath him. He tried his best to ignore the sharp spike of pain in his back as he attempted to beat away the dizziness.

 

Davis grinned darkly as he watched the wolf animagus stagger to his paws weakly. “Sorry about that but I cannot have you ruining everything I have here. Now, it’s just a few minutes to midnight. You best scurry along back to the office before the clock strikes twelve. Tonight’s going to be very tricky. Most don’t survive past Thursday.”

 

Davis grabbed the door handle and called over his shoulder as he stepped out into the night, “I wish you luck Potter. You’ll need it if you wish to make it past three at the very least! Don’t worry though; your death won’t go to waste. You’ll always be a part of the Fazbear Family!”

 

Without any further words, Davis was gone. The front doors slammed shut with an ominous bang just as Harry regained his bearings and changed back to human form. He swiftly ran to the front doors, finding them locked. Cursing, he yanked his holly wood wand out of his pocket and pointed it straight at the locks. _Screw the Ministry, I’m out of here!_ “Alohomora!”

 

Nothing.

 

Harry gaped as he tried the spell again, only to receive the same results. _No! He must’ve used an advanced locking charm!_ Harry quickly fired off several spells; including bombarda, but nothing worked. The doors remained stubbornly closed and undamaged. Harry had just begun contemplating the idea of attempting to smash the glass when the lights dulled further and a very familiar sound of a clock filled the air.

 

It was midnight.

 

The wizard gulped as he slowly turned back and faced the Dining Area. He waited for a few seconds with baited breath and then heard it; a thud followed by the thump thump thump of something heavy moving across the floor. He could also hear the ringing of the phone start up down the hall

 

Harry didn’t think, didn’t hesitate. He bounded into the room, shifting to a wolf as he went, and flew past Bonnie. He barely registered the fact he missed the animatronic’s outstretched hand by mere centimetres. He needed to reach the Office!

 

He could hear the rabbit following as well as the thud of another animatronic jumping down to join the fun., Harry seriously hoped that was Chica and not the boss bear himself. He skidded on the tiles, claws scraping to find purchase as he reached the office. Lunging in; he shifted back mid-air and hit the door button closed. Not even half a minute later he heard Bonnie stop outside.

 

It was then that the phone stopped ringing and clicked over to play the next message.

 

“Hello, hello? Hey! Hey, wow, day 4. I knew you could do it.” Cawthon began. Harry gave a shaky smile despite everything and weakly stumbled to the chair. He dropped into the seat, wincing as his back hit the back of the chair.

 

It was nice to hear ‘Phone Guy’ again. However, something in the guy’s voice sounded off; like he was nervous. Harry remembered all too well the fact that as far as he knew Cawthon had been missing since last Thursday. His talk with Davis also came to mind. He leant in closer to listen.

 

“Uh, hey, listen, I may not be around to send you a message tomorrow.” Harry’s concern grew at the off tone. However, he didn’t have long to ponder it as suddenly a loud banging filled the air. Harry leapt to his feet, thinking it was Foxy at the door. However, he quickly realised the sound hadn’t come from his office; it was coming from the phone.

 

“It's-It's been a bad night here for me. Um, I-I'm kinda glad that I recorded my messages for you uh, when I did.” Scott continued, voice gaining an even more frightened and desperate undertone. Harry slowly returned to his seat, raising the door as he went to conserve power. He grabbed the tablet as the message continued to play.

 

“Uh, hey, do me a favour.”

 

Harry nodded, muttering “Yeah, of course. I owe you o..” before cutting off abruptly as more banging sounded over the phone. He was sure it sounded just like an animatronic beating on the metal doors of the office. He felt his pulse quicken.

 

“Maybe sometime, uh, you could check inside those suits in the back room?” Scott requested meekly. Harry vaguely wondered when it went from Cawthon to Scott but ignored it; only nodding as he heard the banging become more insistent.

 

“I'm going to try to hold out until someone checks. Maybe it won’t be so bad.” Scott’s voice shook slightly and Harry felt sick. _Maybe it won’t be so bad._ He knew what was coming deep down. Still, he didn’t want to admit it. He didn’t want to even consider the fact he was about to hear….

 

More banging before Scott stuttered out, “Uh, I-I-I-I always wondered what was in all those empty heads back there.” Harry winced. He hadn’t even thought much on it at all after he saw them move the other night. He just wanted to avoid them at all costs. He frowned as the sound of a chime playing came from the phone.

 

“You know...” Scott began before a loud moan, sounding just like the bloody awful sounds that came from Bonnie and Chica, cut in.

 

“Oh, no…” Scott and Harry murmured, almost at the same time, before the message cut out and an ear-splitting animatronic screech burst from the phone. Harry rocked back on his chair so bad that it toppled and he fell onto the floor. His scream joined the one on the phone as he landed on his injured arm from the other night.

 

The animatronic screech ended, static followed for a few seconds and then the phone went dead.

 

Harry remained on the floor, the tablet laying cracked next to him, as he mulled over everything that had just happened. Realistically he had known Scott was dead. That didn’t make it any easier to handle though. He hadn’t known the man long but he knew he was a good guy, someone who risked his life to keep others from losing theirs, someone who stayed strong right up till the end.

 

Harry bowed his head as a few tears fell. _I’m sorry Scott. You deserved better._

 

He allowed himself to sit back and just mourn for the tragic loss before he heard a familiar sound of clanging metal and fast-paced pounding steps that reminded him of where he was. He felt terrible for Scott but was definitely unwilling to join him on the ‘flip side’ any time soon.

 

He pushed himself up with his good arm and slammed the door button before Foxy could get in. He swung around and checked the East Hall light, closing the door when he spotted Chica, and took his seat again. Picking up the cracked but luckily still working tablet; he made a quick power check before settling in for another long night.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

“Fuck, fuck, FUCK!” Harry cursed as he stopped Freddy from getting in for the third time that night. That was three times for Freddy, seven times for Bonnie, six times for Chica, four times for Foxy and one visit from the elusive Golden Freddy; it was only just gone three as well. Harry gingerly looked at the power gage and felt his stomach churn.

 

38%

 

If it kept going this way he was going to run out of power way too early. He couldn’t have that. Not when he was so close to learning the truth. Not when he owed Scott a favour.

 

Harry sighed as he thought about Scott. He had been thinking more and more on the previous night guard’s phone calls and what Bruce Davis had told him earlier. Davis had been right; there was no way Scott had been calling every night and if it couldn’t be voicemail or recorded messages……just what was he hearing each night? Was it possible that the messages had been left by….a ghost? Scott’s ghost?

 

It was the only conclusion that he had been able to come to that made any sense. He had seen Zack and then there was Golden Freddy so why not? He sighed as he blocked Chica’s next attempt to get in. _That’s seven for Chica._

 

Harry watched the chicken animatronic as it lumbered away back up the hall as another thought suddenly came to mind. _The children…..the animatronics…._ Davis had avoided the question about the missing kids pretty quickly; as if he had something to hide. Harry cursed at the realisation that he had let that despicable man trick him so he didn’t have to answer. And yet, didn’t that confirm his assumptions in a way?

 

Someone had to have killed the kids and now they were trapped here, slaughtering the night guards and stuck in the bodies of the restaurant’s mascots. He listened as Chica’s steps finally faded away and felt a pang of sadness; not for the bloodthirsty creatures they had become but for the children they had used to be, for the families who would never know what became of their loved ones.

 

Harry sighed as he lowered his head. _None of this would have happened had someone been able to save them…._

 

…………………………………………………………

 

It was just past four thirty and Harry had never felt more panicked in his life. He had been visited several more times in the last hour and a half and now the power was down to just a measly 4%.

 

The teen wizard’s breaths were coming in short, sharp gasps as he attempted to calm himself down. There was no way he would make it to six now. No way in hell. He could already see Freddy getting closer. As if to add insult to injury he heard the bear’s familiar eerie laugh.

 

Harry flipped the bear off through the camera, put down the tablet and went over to his bag. He put his invisibility cloak back inside, having found out the hard way that it did not fool the animatronics one bit just a half hour ago. That had very nearly been a disaster. That left him now with only two options; his magic and his animagus form.

 

He doubted greatly that his wolf form could do much against those things but maybe if he was lucky he could outrun them at least. His magic was his best bet for now though. He put the bag back in the locker and closed it. Turning around he watched the tablet as the power went down.

 

3%

 

2%

 

Bonnie’s here.

 

1%

 

Game Over.

 

The lights went out, the fan stopped, the singing from Pirate Cove that had been going for the last few minutes went quiet and Harry felt his heart begin thumping wildly in his chest.

 

He could hear Freddy slowly approaching him now; the creepy tune he made in the dark playing full force. Harry waited anxiously, knowing that this was the moment of truth. Davis was a wizard and he had no idea how the animatronics worked. There really was no telling if his magic would work on them or not.

 

Finally he watched in terror as Freddy appeared in the doorway; the only thing he could see was the glowing blue eyes in the darkness. Harry stood, frozen, hoping to buy himself some time.

 

No such luck.

 

The song cut off mid-way and everything went dark. Harry closed his eyes, raised his wand and shouted “BOMBARDA!” The spell hit Freddy and he heard an explosive bang before silence. Harry felt himself sag in relief. _It worked! It actually worked! I can’t believe i…._

WHACK!

 

Harry shouted as he went flying back into the wall next to the locker. He hit it with his injured arm first and felt a few stitches pop. Groaning, he rolled onto his side and looked up at the looming figure of the bear animatronic. Harry, now that his eyes had adjusted to the dark, was able to see that the spell had done nothing. Not even the tiniest of cracks.

 

He felt blood dripping down his arms and silently cursed his luck before rolling to the side to dodge the hand that lunged at him. Staggering to his feet he pointed his wand at the bear and tried another spell. “STUPEFY!” The red light flew at Freddy, hitting him straight between the eyes. However, the animatronic kept coming. Harry staggered back towards the chair. “ASCENDIO! INCENDIO! CONFRINGO!” Harry attempted but still nothing seemed to work.

 

Freddy swung again and this time the hit landed. Harry shouted as he was sent flying into the chair. They both tumbled to the ground with a thud and Harry felt himself blackout for a few seconds as his head hit the floor. The chair arm had snapped from the force of the hit and the jagged end dug into his side leaving a nasty gash that sprayed some blood onto the floor and up under the desk.

 

This time Freddy shrieked as he sprang at him. Harry rolled and fired another spell. “DELETRIUS!” Once again nothing happened other than the animatronics’ hand swiping at the broken chair and leaving claw marks on the fabric. “Fuck,” Harry hissed in frustration. He grabbed the edge of the desk and tugged himself back to his feet. Clutching his bad arm to his side in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He took a deep breath and gave it one more try, firing off every other destructive charm he could think of that may help. “DIFFINDO! EXPLUSO! REDUCTO! IMMOBULUS!”

 

It was no use. Freddy grabbed him by the arm and threw him at the locker again. Harry hit the cold metal and screamed when he felt his wand arm snap. His glasses and wand flew off and landed somewhere he couldn’t see with a clang.

 

He was injured, defenceless and now couldn’t even properly see the enemy. He knew he had one more chance left. It was dangerous, especially with his arm broken, but he had no choice left.

 

He closed his eyes and focused on his animagus form. With a scream as his broken arm was forced to shift, he swiftly turned into his wolf form. Hauling himself back up one last time, he made a limping dash for the exit. Flying past a confused Freddy, he yipped in delight as he made it into the East Hall. Picking up speed he was down the hall in seconds. He had nearly reached the Dining Area when suddenly Bonnie appeared in the hall.

 

Harry yelped and tried to slow down. However, with him unable to use his front left leg all he could do was stumble a little in the hope it would slow him enough. It didn’t work. He slammed into the purple rabbit at a good twenty kilometres an hour and bounced back onto the floor in a daze.

 

Bonnie went to grab him and Harry desperately lashed out with his teeth.

 

_Snap!_

_Clang!_

 

The wolf howled in pain as he tumbled back; silently cursing his stupid idea. _What the hell was I thinking? Biting into metal like that! I really hope I haven’t cracked any teeth….._

 

Spinning around he went back toward the office. _Okay, no problem. I’ll just duck around Freddy Fazfuck in there and then head down the West Hall. No biggie. I can do this!_

 

He nearly reached the office when he saw Freddy stepping out. Not wanting to fall for the same trick twice, he ducked and slid under Freddy’s legs. _Wrong move!_ He cried out again as the movement painfully jostled the broken limb and he wound up sprawled on the floor.

 

Harry groaned as his head swum. _Stupid Dursleys, stupid pizzeria, stupid robots possessed by the kids…..wait, possessed…._

 

Harry’s eyes widened as he spotted his wand behind the locker. _That’s it! Their possessed! That means that maybe I was going about this the wrong way! If I can just get my wand…._

 

The risk was huge though. If he went for the wand, he might not make it before Freddy or Bonnie turned up and nabbed him. There was no telling if his guess was right either. Nothing he tried so far had had the slightest effect. If he ran though he might run into Chica anyway and then he was trapped. _I’ve got to try…_

 

He allowed the shift to take over again, forcing himself not to scream. He didn’t want those things getting him before he could reach his….

 

“SCREEEECH!”

 

Harry didn’t have time to even utter a sound before he was thrown into the desk, knocking the tablet to the ground, and toppling the rest of the chair over again. Harry did cry out though when he felt another, much deeper, wound open in his stomach. Blood began to gush out in a steady stream. He vaguely registered the small trail that lead out into the East Hall from when he made his escape attempt just minutes ago. _Oh man, losing this much blood is not good…._

 

A deep, booming laugh filled the air; the source of the sinister sound towering over him with a maniacal glee. Looking over the beasts shoulder, Harry was surprised to see a very familiar man watching him from the corner. It was Scott. The man’s purple uniform was stained red with blood and ripped to shreds. His eyes seemed so dull they looked grey and his face seemed to face aged ten years from a mixture of grief and anguish. The former night guard was watching him with what Harry could only describe as a look of upmost guilt and misery. He heard the man mutter one word as the bear advanced. “Sorry…”

 

Harry gave the spirit a rueful smile despite the pain and muttered, “Me too…”

 

The last thing Harry thought as Freddy dragged him towards his death was _nobody saved Scott, nobody saved the kids so why would anybody be here to save him?_

 

…………………………………………………………

 

The trip to Backstage was the longest three minutes Harry had ever experienced. Every single move was torture on his broken left arm and just lead to more blood seeping out of his arm, side or stomach. His back still ached something fierce from Davis’ spell and his tummy churned from the blow to the head. He could just make out the life-giving liquid smearing all over the floor as he was dragged by his feet; tainting the tiles a deep red. He thought he saw Scott again, standing just outside the office. However, it was so dark it was impossible to tell. Harry hoped it wasn’t though. Going through this yourself once was horrible enough, he wouldn’t ask anyone to have to watch it happen again.

 

Finally the three minutes were up and he was being tugged into the ominous room he had only ever seen on the cameras. It was cold in there was the first thing his pain-addled mind registered. Dust was thick in the air and a horrible stench immediately assaulted his nose. It was a disgusting and nauseating mixture of rotting flesh, blood and oil. Harry nearly gagged but forced it down. _No reason to add another horrific stench to the mix_ , he mused darkly. He tried to look at his watch, hoping it was nearly six by now. He hissed in exasperation when he noticed it was smashed, tiny glass shards sticking into his wrist. _When the hell did that happen?_

 

Suddenly he was being lifted onto the bench. Looking up he was slightly surprised to see Golden Freddy was the one manoeuvring him. However, at this point, he found he didn’t care. He wasn’t sure why exactly. Surely he should be panicking now shouldn’t he? He knew what was coming, knew he was going to die. He supposed that was it though wasn’t it?

 

Hermione had talked about it once. Detachment; when someone disconnects emotionally to a situation in order to cope. He supposed that made sense. He was pretty sure he should be a nervous wreck by now; kicking, screaming, begging. Not that it would do him any good. He was done for. It was game over, lights out, whatever you wished to call it. Maybe it was because of that or perhaps it was the bloodless and agony but right now, he just didn’t care.

 

He heard shuffling and banging to his left and forced his sore neck to turn to see what was going on. He felt he already knew though what they were up to. Sure enough, Freddy and Foxy were tugging something big and bulky out from a corner in the room. Harry blinked apathetically as he realised what it was; an animatronic suit. It was too dark to see which one, not that he really cared to know which one of the fuckers he was going to look like after this.

 

Bonnie had wondered over to the shelves and was busy grabbing one of the spare heads. Harry felt the teensiest hint of fear return when he remembered what Scott had told him about those. _Um, now, that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices, especially around the facial area. So, you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort...and death. Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they pop out the front of the mask, heh._ Harry gulped.

 

The robotic animals gathered around him as Freddy and Foxy brought the suit over. Just as Chica and Golden Freddy grabbed his arms to hold him down, coaxing a scream out of him as the chicken shoved his fractured limb down onto the table, his mind cleared enough for the alarm to set in. _Shit, what the fuck am I doing just lying here! I have to get out!_

 

Harry thrashed in their grip as he watched them open up the suit. He kicked with both legs, repeatedly striking the fox and bear with no reaction other then from himself. He shouted in a mixture of fear, pain and desperation as they continued to prepare for his death. He tugged and yanked his right arm, trying to loosen Golden Freddy’s vice-like grip. The phantom animatronic just tightened his hold, watching him with a look of indifference.

 

Finally they were ready and they began to pull the suit towards him. Harry gave up any semblance of pride and screeched as loud as he could, “HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME! PLEASE! HELP! STOP! STOP! PLEASE, MERLIN NO!”

 

Foxy’s hook tore into his right leg as the pirate canine shoved it into the leg component of the suit. Harry saw white as the worst agony he had ever felt slammed into him at full force. He was vaguely aware of a loud, crackling sound and only registered a few seconds later that it was his own wailing cry. He weakly raised his head as his vision cleared to look at what they had done and lost the battle to hold in his nausea. His leg, or what he could see of the remains, was a tangled, bloody mess. Flesh had been ripped open and was now twisted around the parts of the suit. Bone could easily be made out, glowing faintly in the weak light in the room. He could just catch the smallest glances of the black material that once was his work pants. It was a horrific sight and he absent-mindedly noted that he couldn’t even make out any skin in the gory mess.

 

His left leg, which had been bent up in order to tug him to the suit, was now clutched in the grasp of Freddy. “N-No!” he whimpered, trying feebly to pull his leg free. Golden Freddy and Chica’s grips suddenly loosened ever so slightly and for one blessed moment he thought they were letting him go. Instead he felt them pull him up and held him as Foxy and Bonnie began to haul the suit up. Harry screamed when he realised what they were about to do. “NO, DON’T! PLEAS-AGHHHHH!”

 

With one sickening shove he found himself chest deep in the suit. The grotesque sound of snapping bone and tearing flesh ripped through the air, joining with his shrieks to create a blood-chilling symphony. He felt his left leg twist and snap as it went in wrong, shredding it far worse then the right one. Wires and metallic parts tore his stomach open and made his earlier wounds seem like nothing. Blood soaked into the suit, pooling underneath him so quickly he felt his head spin. The agony was so great he felt himself start to blackout, just to be shocked into wakefulness yet again by the tiniest of movements. It was ten times worse then anything he had felt before. His screams began to choke off as he felt his throat tear which had nothing to do with the suit.

 

He couldn’t see the damage caused this time but he didn’t need too to know there was no surviving this. He was an absolute mess of severed bones and twisted muscle. The worst part though was how the parts missed his vital organs. It wouldn’t be a quick death. No, this was a slow, drawn-out demise.

 

Freddy turned round, furry brown hands stained a deep scarlet, and grabbed the mask of the suit. Harry vaguely recognised it now as one of Bonnie’s. _Huh,_ Harry chucked mentally in a delirious state of semi-consciousness, _I always did think it would be cool to learn the guitar…._

 

He could feel himself growing weaker as the unbearable pain finally ebbed away into a dull, all-over ache and then, nothing. His vision began to blur as he saw the mask descending towards his face. He distantly hoped that he would pass out this time before they got that thing on his face. The pool of blood beneath him was growing thicker. He could just now hear the drip drip drip amongst the buzzing in his ears. Then, that was gone too.

 

He forced his now dull, moss-green eyes open to look up at the animatronics, unaware of when he had closed them in the first place. The five robotic monsters were watching him, the mask still clasped in Freddy’s hand but now it had stopped its descent towards his face. Harry had the vague thought that perhaps they wanted to watch him suffer a little more. _Fucking bastards!_

 

His vision was starting to darken at the edges and now his body felt blessedly numb and yet heavy; the way you feel when you’re ready for a nice, long sleep. He forced himself to look up at his tormentors one last time and would have jumped back if he had had the energy. Standing in front of the animatronics were five kids. Five very familiar kids. He knew straight away his guess had been correct. The five missing kids had been killed and were the ones controlling the animatronics.

 

Ryan, Cody, Dean, Marcus and Sarah.

Freddy, Golden Freddy, Bonnie, Foxy and Chica.

 

It was relieving in a way to have an answer but also unbearably tragic. The kids’ faces where set into twisted, malevolent grins but theirs eyes held a cold, detached look that did not belong on a child. They weren’t children anymore, not really.

 

His eyes flickered behind the kids and he felt what was left of his blood run cold. Standing at the back of the room, half hidden in shadows, was Zack. The boy was standing there crying, with what looked like the scariest puppet Harry had ever seem, hovering behind him. The puppet and boy looked at him at the same time and Harry felt his last breath leave his body as the mask covered his face.

 

The last thing he ever heard was Zack’s small voice whispering as clear as day.

 

“Save Them, Save Him, You Can’t”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that was intense wasn’t it? I swear that is the darkest thing I have ever written. I don’t know whether I should be proud of myself or signing myself up for therapy……Oh well. 
> 
> First off, Davis and Harry’s talk. That was actually a lot harder to write then I thought it would be. Maybe because I was more excited to get to Harry’s fourth shift or something. I don’t know. Either way, it originally seems that money is Davis’ only method but now that we know he was a wizard working for Voldemort; could there be another motive? You will have to wait and see. 
> 
> Second; the spell Harry was going to attempt. I have given you a few clues in there but if you want to know what it is you will have to wait for later chapters. Feel free to guess though. Let’s see if anyone can figure it out!
> 
> Thirdly; I have the redone timeline below. That should be up to date now. 
> 
> Thanks for reading guys! See you all next time!
> 
> Updated Timeline with All the Correct Dates
> 
> Note: Some days are broken up into two parts to keep events sorted by chapter. 
> 
> 16th June – Battle of the Department of Mysterious, Sirius Black admitted to Saint Mungo’s, the day of Voldemort’s defeat.  
> 18th June – Sirius Black cleared of all charges.  
> 23rd June – School Term ended.  
> 1st July – Harry is told he needs to get a job. He sends Sirius the first letter.   
> 3rd July – Sirius received Harry’s first letter about needing a job.  
> 4th July – Harry gets the job at Freddy’s. He meets the previous night guard, Scott Cawthon, and the manager, Bruce Davis. He immediately grows suspicious of Mr Davis’ behaviour but takes the job out of desperation anyway. Harry sent Sirius the second letter.  
> 6th July – Sirius received Harry’s second letter.  
> 8th-9th July – Harry’s first night. He grows even more suspicious of Bruce Davis. He meets the ghost of Zack Wolloway, learns that the animatronics come to life at night and will try to kill him. He is nearly killed by Freddy and the gang when the power runs out.  
> 9th-10th July – Harry sends Sirius the final letter and does some basic research on Freddy’s. His second night begins. He discovers who the fourth animatronic is, Foxy, and later comes face to face with another mystery of Freddy’s; the backstage spare parts and endoskeleton moving. Harry’s first true encounter with Foxy ends with a narrow escape. He comes to the realisation that faulty programming is not the reason behind the animatronics vicious behaviour.  
> 10th-11th July – Harry visits the hospital about his arm. He then does some more research into Freddy’s and finds some newspaper articles on a few tragic events that took place there. Harry’s third night involves him meeting the mysterious Golden Freddy and witnessing another spooky phenomenon in the restaurant; the newspaper clippings. When the night ends he checks out the Manager’s Office and discovers the files of the previous employees.  
> 11th-12th July – Sirius has received the final letter from Harry and sent his reply. Harry confronts Davis in time to learn some horrid truths. He discovers that Bruce Davis is a Death Eater but is unable to escape the building before the night starts. He finds out that Scott really did die and confirms that the spirits of the missing kids really are possessing the suits. He also learns the hard way that magic appears ineffective on the robots. However, he does think of one spell that may work but never gets to try it. Harry’s fourth night ends tragically when he is caught by the animatronics and subsequently stuffed into a suit. Just before he dies he sees what happened to the sixth child, Zack a.k.a The Puppet.  
> 17th July – Sirius Black escapes Saint Mungo’s. He discovers that Harry is missing. With Remus’ help they investigate the pizzeria only to find that Harry isn’t there. What they do locate there are Harry’s things and blood in the Security Office. They decide that they need to check Harry’s room.  
> 18th July – After a little rest, Sirius and Remus return to the Dursley household and check Harry’s room. They find Harry and Hermione’s notes on Freddy’s and come to the conclusion that Harry was in more danger then they initially thought.


	10. Chapter 9 - A Daring Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I’m not dead thankfully. I know its been way too long since I updated this. Its been a long and stressful last few months but I’m back. 
> 
> This chapter is honestly not one of my favourites but it is essential for moving along the story. This next chapter though should be very interesting.
> 
> Anyway, on with the chapter! Merlin knows I’ve been keeping you waiting long enough.

** Chapter 9 – A Daring Plan **

 

18th-19th July – Remus

 

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

 

Remus Lupin growled under his breath as his pale blue eyes skimmed over the book’s words for the umpteenth time in the past hour. He had been reading and re-reading his own collection of texts on ghosts, ghouls, poltergeists and other supernatural creatures, hoping they could shed some light on how to go about solving this problem.

 

Sirius had other ideas.

 

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

 

Remus finally put the book down, having found nothing helpful, and tugged at his hair in agitation. Glaring daggers at his long-time friend, the werewolf finally reached over and snatched that accursed quill out of the animagus hand. Sirius pouted for a second before jumping to his feet.

 

“Moony, this isn’t helping! We need another plan.”

 

Remus sighed and stood up as well, facing Sirius with a raised eyebrow. “And what do you suggest then Sirius? We’re in way over our heads on this one. If our theory is correct, and those robots are being possessed by the souls of the missing children and murdering the night guards, we need to figure out how to stop them. Not to mention we still have to find Harry….” Remus trailed off here, not sure what else to say. He wasn’t so sure anymore that they would be finding their godson alive and well after this.

 

Sirius huffed. “We’re wizards Moony! A couple quick spells and those creepy metal animal thingys are as good as gone. We go in, stop them from hurting someone else, and then we find our pup. Simple.”

 

Remus groaned and wondered, not for the first time, why he bothered trying to talk any reason into Sirius. It never worked He had been adamant that going back to Freddy’s was the best option they had and Remus agreed wholeheartedly. However, after reading over everything they had collected from Harry’s room he felt it wise that they come up with a proper plan of action first. Thus, research was essential. “Sirius, I’ve never seen nor heard of a situation like this before. We have no idea exactly what kind of spirits we could be looking at. Ghosts and other spiritual entities are still a largely understudied area of creature research. For all we know, none of our spells will work. Then what do we do?”

 

Sirius hissed. “I don’t care Remus! Those things could have hurt Harry……or worse…..we-we can’t just let them run free! Besides, what if they get another person? The bloodstained fur on the robots, the bleach in the office, the employee records…..they have more than likely already killed people Moony! We need to stop them now before someone else is added to that list of ‘missing’ past employees.”

 

Remus watched as Sirius finished his rant, huffing in an effort to restrain his pent up emotions. Remus understood where Sirius was coming from. He did. He didn’t like the idea of leaving those monsters unseen to anymore then Sirius did but he wouldn’t allow Padfoot to get them killed either.

 

“I know Sirius. We will stop this and find out the truth. People will know what happened there. However, it’s getting too late to go back now anyway. The place will be closing in two hours and we will need longer then that to look around. We can’t risk the night guard seeing us snooping around either so…”

 

“THAT’S IT!” Sirius bellowed, cutting Remus off and causing him to stumble over in surprise. Sirius grinned at him, looking very much like a child on Christmas morning. “Moony, that’s it! Freddy’s was looking for a new night guard right? What if WE take the job?”

 

Remus gaped at the fugitive, wondering if Sirius had finally lost the plot completely. “…..What?”

 

Sirius grinned wolfishly. “Think about it Remus! We will have the place to ourselves. No kids, no staff. We can look around as much as we like and no one will be any the wiser.”

 

Remus hummed thoughtfully. On the surface it seemed like a good idea. However, “what about the animatronics Sirius?”

 

Sirius shrugged. “Yeah, so we’ll have to deal with them. But it’s a chance to see what really goes on there at night. We can see for ourselves what Harry was dealing with and maybe then we can find a way to stop this once and for all. We can find a way to get Harry back.”

 

The werewolf contemplated it for a few minutes. It was stupid, risky and unbearably rash. They had no idea if magic would work on the animatronics, no idea what these spirits were capable of and no concept of what they could be walking into. However, he wasn’t a Gryffindor for nothing. Sometimes you just had to take that daring leap of faith and hope it paid off. They had no other leads, no more moves to make. Remus looked up at Sirius who held out a hand to pull him up. Remus grinned, a new fire in his eyes that Sirius hadn’t seen in years.

 

“Okay, let’s do it. For Harry.”

 

Sirius smiled wearily. “For Harry.”

 

…………………………………………………………

 

It was a miracle really that no one had taken the job. When they got to Freddy’s the manager had been busy arguing with a staff member, trying to get them to cover the night shift for him. The employee, a young woman most likely just out of high school, had vehemently refused; sparking an all-out argument between the two. Needless to say Mr Davis had been very happy to see them wonder in asking about the night guard job. However, he wasn’t so pleased that they wanted to both work it together.

 

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, when Mr Davis realised that it was Sirius Black who was one of his potential employees he had quickly relented and allowed them to both share the job. The whole thing had set Remus’ teeth on edge. Mr Davis had seemed almost too excited when he learned their names and had wasted no time at all getting them to sign the papers and ushering them out of the office to start the tour. The marauder couldn’t fathom why the guy seemed so cheerful all of a sudden and was more than a little suspicious.

 

Regardless of the manager’s strange behaviour they were both relieved to have been given the job. With their new uniforms on and the pitiful few instructions given, the manager left and the place was finally closed for the day. Midnight was just an hour away.

 

Remus and Sirius both stood in the East Hall doorway to the office, scanning the room with feelings of unease. They remembered all too well what they had found the last time they were here. Still, Remus shook off the ominous sensation and stepped over to the cameras. They had a mission; a job to do and they couldn’t allow bad memories to get in the way. He sat down in the wheelie chair and quickly figured out how to work the equipment. He cycled through each camera, making sure Davis was really gone. Satisfied that they were really alone he nodded to his companion, who had still reframed from moving into the dreaded room and they both silently left.

 

They quickly moved down the hall and stopped outside Davis’s office. “Okay,” Remus instructed, “You search the kitchens, reception area, janitor’s closet and Pirate’s Cove. I’ll cover the rest. We have one hour until our shift ‘officially’ starts so we need to be back in the office by then. Got it?”

 

Sirius nodded, determined. “Yeah, see you then.” He quickly turned and dashed down the hall towards the kitchen. Remus watched him go for a few seconds before a thought crossed his mind. “And no snack breaks!”

 

Despite the sombre situation Remus could still hear Sirius’ bark-like laughter drifting back to him making him smile. However, he could have sworn he heard another laugh drifting down the hall as well, swiftly wiping away his grin.

 

Remus shivered as he set off to do his work.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

At precisely 11:59pm Remus raced into the Security Office, finding Sirius already there, seated in the wheelie chair with a disgruntled look on his face. Remus sighed, trudging over to sit on the edge of the table. He was about to ask if Sirius had found anything, despite having already guessed the answer, when the clock struck twelve.

 

_Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring._

 

Remus and Sirius jumped as the loud ringing filled the air. Sirius looked around, puzzled and paranoid, while Remus quickly regained his composure, realising what it was.

 

“What is that? What’s going on? Wha….?” Sirius ranted in surprise.

 

Remus rolled his eyes. “It’s a phone Sirius. Muggles use them to communicate, remember? I showed you Harry’s phone before,” he explained while reaching for the red, old-fashioned phone sitting on the desk.

 

Sirius snorted. “You only told me it could ‘help us’, whatever that means. I don’t get it.”

 

Remus was about to reply when the ringing cut out. Suddenly the machine ticked over to messages and a chillingly familiar voice filled the air.

 

“Hello?”

 

Sirius and Remus both stared in bewilderment at the phone as they whispered simultaneously. “Harry….?”

 

Instead of an answer, Harry’s voice continued to filter through the device, completely unaware of his godfathers’ presence. “So, I figured I should record some messages for you to help you out on your first week of the job. That’s what the guy before me did anyway. I guess it’s kind of like a tradition in a way? Whatever. Anyway, you’ve sure picked one hell of a new job buddy and I mean that quite literally.”

 

Sirius finally broke out of his dumbfounded stupor and looked at Remus. “R-Remus, that’s Harry! I-It’s his voice! How…? What is this thing? Can it help us find him….?”

 

Remus shook his head. “Its like a patronus Sirius. It’s just passing on a recorded message so no, it cannot help us track Harry down. He could have recorded this last week for all we know.” Remus said somewhat dejectedly. However, it was a relief to hear his cub’s voice again as well. He had begun to believe he would never hear it again.

 

“Oh…” Sirius murmured, subdued.

 

“….okay?” Harry’s voice cut into the conversation and they both quickly fell silent again to listen, hoping they hadn’t missed anything important.

 

“So, the animatronics...I’m not going to ‘beat around the bush’ here, so to speak.”

 

Remus leant forward. _The animatronics….._ A sense of dread fell over him. This was the moment of truth. Was Harry about to confirm his darkest suspicions?

 

“These robots move around the place at night and will try to get into your office.” Harry continued, oblivious to the rising tension between his father’s two friends. _It would seem so_ Remus mused darkly.

 

“Creepy?” Harry queried.

 

“Yes,” Sirius replied while shifting from foot to foot. Remus picked up the tablet and started to scroll through the cameras. _Nothing yet._

 

“That’s hardly the worst part of it.” Harry continued.

 

Sirius groaned. “Of course it’s not”, sounding exasperated. Remus however felt a sense of foreboding unease. _Here it comes…._

 

“If they see you they will try to forcefully stuff you inside one of the spare animatronic suits. Something about them not recognising people after hours and about them being programmed to ensure all ‘endoskeletons’; fyi, that’s what they see you as, are in costume at all times blah blah blah.” Harry stated, sounding oddly annoyed.

 

Remus glanced at Sirius to see the same dread reflected on his friends face. This confirmed what they had originally thought. The animatronics were the ones killing the night guards. And as if to further confirm it for them…

 

“Doesn’t sound too bad though right? Yeah, it wouldn't be if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices, especially around the facial area. So, to put it simply; it’s a fatal experience.”

 

Remus blanched at the thought while Sirius went a sickly shade of green. They were both filled with disturbing imagery of someone having to go through what Harry had just described.

 

Sirius looked at him uneasily. “Do you think Harry….?”

 

Remus cut him off with a shaky jerk of the head. “No! Don-Don’t go there Siri. ….” Secretly though, he couldn’t shake that terrible thought. _He can’t have. He just can’t…_

 

“Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up. Unlucky for you there’s a ‘one-week of compulsory work before you can quit’ rule so you’re stuck there.” Harry continued in a heavily sarcastic tone.

 

Despite the horrible mental images still swimming through their minds, Sirius couldn’t help but laugh slightly. “Trust Harry to say something like that at a time like this.” Remus couldn’t help but smile slightly too.

 

“Still, the first day isn’t too bad. Just keep your head up, watch those cameras and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power because the boss here is a cheapskate.”

 

That got a quiet laugh.

 

“Alright, good night and good luck!”

 

_Click._

 

Silence.

 

Remus sat on the desk, head bowed, thinking over what he had just heard with mounting dread. Things just kept getting worse. Glancing up he noticed Sirius staring off into the distance. They remained that way for a few more minutes before Sirius broke the silence. “Did you find anything?”

 

Remus frowned. “What do yo…?”

 

“Earlier, when we checked the place out. Did you find anything?” Sirius elaborated.

 

Remus shook his head. “No, the manager’s office was clean. Nothing there that we haven’t already seen ourselves. The manager knows for sure what’s going on here though. He had the same files in is desk that Hermione sent to Harry.” He had been taken off guard slightly by the change of topic but was grateful nonetheless to move away from talking about Harry’s chilling phone call. He picked up the tablet and once again started to sort through the cameras.

 

Sirius nodded absently, having already assumed as much. “Nothing else?”

 

Remus once again shook his head. “No, the stage area and dinning area had nothing of interest, not that I expected areas so open to the public to have any clues. I couldn’t get into the backstage area though.”

 

Sirius frowned. “You couldn’t?”

 

Remus put the tablet down after confirming everyone was in their place. “No. It was locked I think. Did you find anything?”

 

Sirius sighed. “Despite the fact they lock up the cupboards and fridges so no one can get into the food after hours? Nothing.”

 

Remus gave a fond sigh of exasperation before speaking. “You know what this means then?”

 

Sirius nodded. “We need to get backstage.”

 

…………………………………………………………

 

It was nearing four in the morning now and still the animatronics had not made a move off the stage. Remus had seen them look at the cameras a few times but still they stayed firmly in place. He would swear the robotic creatures were mocking him.

 

_That’s right. This is our game. There is nothing you can do about it except wait._

 

With nothing happening Sirius had decided that they should see if they can get backstage. Remus had been sceptical but eventually gave in. If he didn’t Sirius would just go alone anyway.

 

The cameras hadn’t shown much of the room at all. All they could see was a few shelves of spare animatronic heads and what they assumed to be one of the ‘endoskeletons’ Harry had mentioned on the table in the middle of the camera’s view. The door appeared to be open now for whatever reason so it seemed like the best opportunity.

 

_If anything goes wrong I suppose it will be as good a time as any to see if magic works on them._

 

That was how they found themselves currently creeping down the West Hall. Sirius was ahead of him, wand drawn in case of any approaching danger. They had just reached the end of the hall and Remus had begun to relax marginally when a series of thumps caused them to pause. Glancing ahead towards the stage he gasped when he saw Bonnie standing next to one of the tables. Chica hopped down beside the bunny.

 

Remus grabbed Sirius and tugged him back so they were standing in the shadows. They watched as Chica scanned the room before moving towards the East Hall. Bonnie, however, stayed where he was. The rabbit’s magenta eyes were fixed on the camera in the corner.

 

Sirius hissed under his breath. “Great, what now?”

 

Remus frantically tried to think of a solution. He didn’t want to try magic on the beasts yet. Not with Freddy still watching diligently from the stage. The last thing he wanted was two ticked off robots after them. He glanced around and spotted a soft drink can discarded on the floor. _Ah-ha!_

 

Picking it up he quickly risked leaning out of the shadows, angled his throw and tossed the can down the East Hall. Leaning back the werewolf waited to see if his plan worked. Sirius stood tense next to him as they waited.

 

After a minute Bonnie finally turned around and stomped over to investigate, stopping just in front of the East Hall. Freddy stayed on the stage but his eyes had immediately sort out the source of the disturbance. With the bots distracted Remus tugged on this friend’s arm and they both made a swift dash for the backstage area.

 

Once inside they both doubled over and gasped. “We did it! We made it!” Sirius whisper-cheered. Remus nodded. That had been one of the most tense situations he had ever experienced. He had been so sure they would be caught.

 

Sirius straightened up and was about to pull out his night guard flashlight and look around when a noise behind them got their attention.

 

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

 

They both paused, eyes widening in horrid realisation. An animatronic….

 

Silence.

 

….was coming….

 

“Oh shit.” Sirius mumbled.

 

Turning, they both came face to face with Freddy Fazbear.

 

The two stood frozen, unsure of what to do. Freddy likewise remained still, watching them as if daring them to make the first move. It was the most unnerving experience of Remus’ life. Freddy’s electric blue eyes were completely emotionless, face blank and posture giving away nothing of his intentions away. Not that they needed any clues as to what the bear was going to do if he nabbed them.

 

Finally Remus raised his wand and pointed it at Freddy. The bear’s eyes flickered to follow the motion though he otherwise made no attempt to avoid the incoming attack. Remus was unsure how to feel about that.

 

“Stupefy!”

 

Nothing. The red light struck the animatronic right between the eyes but got not even a twitch from Freddy. Remus would swear to the day he died that he actually saw a spark of amusement in the robot’s eyes, as if it had seen this all before and was amused by the failed attempt to stop him. Remus thought of Harry in a similar situation and felt rage bubble up in his chest. Sirius must have been feeling the same way as he suddenly shouted at the creature before them.

 

“WHERE’S HARRY YOU BASTARD?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!”

 

Freddy tilted his head almost mockingly. The sight was eerie to say the least. It was as if the animatronic knew exactly what they were saying. Who knew, maybe he did and just wanted to add insult to injury?

 

Sirius scowled further and continued his rant. “DON’T GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT! YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHO I’M TALKING ABOUT! WHERE! IS! HE!”

 

Sirius punctured each of the last three words with a slash of his wand, casting silent curses with each word. Bombarda, Incendio. Expulso.

 

Nothing happened. Freddy continued to stare, an air of smugness now surrounding the prone creature. Sirius stepped back, surprised and concerned by the lack of affect the magic had on the robot. Remus followed suit and they waited. Freddy, having had enough of the game, finally lunged forward with a shriek. The two wizards, having expected the attack, dodged to the sides and dashed from the room. Racing out into the dining area, the stared in dismay at the other two animatronics. Bonnie and Chica both stood there, watching with blank eyes as the two humans ran toward them.

 

Remus cursed, skidding on the tiles as he just barely avoided a collision with Bonnie. Sparing a look Sirius’ way, he watched the dog animagus deftly slide to the ground, flying between a surprised Chica’s legs and springing to his feet the other side. Remus sprinted towards him and they both charged down the West Hall, all to aware of the sounds of the animatronics right behind them.

 

They had nearly reached the office when a new set of footsteps joined the others; these much faster. Remus and Sirius spared a glance over their shoulders and watched in horror as Foxy sprinted after them; rusty hook swinging threateningly in their direction and a maniacal gleam in his eyes.

 

They upped the pace, Sirius shifting to Padfoot while Remus channelled his werewolf strength in order to move faster. They just managed to reach the office in time; Remus slamming his fist into the door button while Sirius dashed to the opposite side and did the same with the East Hall buttons. Remus jumped as he heard Foxy hit the door and start banging on it for a few seconds. After about three hits the animatronic seemed to give up and all went quiet.

 

The two friends slid to the ground opposite each other with their backs to the doors and only the sounds of ragged breathing filling the air. Finally, Sirius met Remus’ eyes and whispered three words that the werewolf too had been thinking.

 

“We’re completely fucked.”

 

…………………………………………………………

 

They managed to finish the shift without further trouble and ran outside as soon as 6am came round. Stopping outside the parking lot and just looking back at the building, they silently contemplated the situation they had found themselves in. Neither wanted to admit what was on both their minds.

 

They were about to leave in order to rest and then discuss what to do next when something in the window caught their eyes, leaving both staring in stunned disbelief.

 

Standing at the window, watching them with an expressionless face was a teenage boy with black hair and bright green eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there we go. I hope you liked it. Like I said before, not my best chapter but at least it’s something right……right?
> 
> Anyway, some parts of Harry’s phone call are obviously from the night one phone message of the first game. I changed it up a lot to be more suited to Harry but some hints of the original dialogue are there. 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think and I’ll see you all with the next chapter!


	11. Chapter 10 - Echoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly smaller chapter this time. It was gonna be longer but I spilt it up for dramatic affect. 
> 
> Let me know what you think :)

** Chapter 10 – Echoes **

 

19th-20th July – Sirius and Remus

 

“You _saw_ him Remus! He looked _just like_ Harry! It _had_ to be him!”

 

Remus groaned as Sirius continued to shout. It had been the same argument for the last three hours; since they got back from the accursed pizza place.

 

Remus could not deny that the sight had been eerie to say the least. Seeing a figure standing by the window, watching them with intense green eyes. Still, he refused to believe that it was Harry. It had been so quick, only a matter of seconds and the figure was gone. It could have been anyone. They didn’t even get a good enough look to know for sure. Besides, if it was their cub; why didn’t he do anything? Why didn’t he call out to them, run over to them, tell them he was okay? Why just stand there? Why be at Freddy’s at all?

 

It didn’t make sense.

 

Sirius finally ceased his attempts to wear a hole into the floor with his pacing and stopped to look at him with a heaving sigh. “Okay….okay. So, if it wasn’t Harry then….who was it?”

 

Remus frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t know Sirius. This whole mess makes little sense. All I do know is that maybe tonight might give us some answers.”

_I just hope we’re ready for what we find…._

 

…………………………………………………………

 

 

Sirius shakily stepped into the Security Office of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza; dread looming over him like a persistent cloud at the thought of coming back here. Remus may try to deny that the person they saw that morning was their godson but he couldn’t; no matter how much he wanted to.

 

He jut wanted to understand why? Was Harry alive and playing some kind of twisted game with them? For what cause? Was he……gone? Trapped in the place where his life had ended? Why did this have to happen?

 

Sirius shook his head. There was no time for this. He just had to hope and pray for a miracle while continuing with their plan.

 

Remus had decided that they should play along with the animatronics’ game tonight. Find out just what these things could do; learn their patterns, look for any weaknesses and then tomorrow they would put a stop to this.

 

It was a solid plan. It didn’t mean he was happy to be spending another night here though.

 

Sirius rushed forward, nabbing the chair before Remus could reach it and smiling smugly at his friend. A little mischief was a good distraction from the sombre atmosphere after all. Ignoring the werewolf’s indignant cry, he listened as the clock struck midnight and the building powered down into low energy mode.

 

A thought suddenly hit him as he looked at the red phone on the desk. _Would Harry….?_

 

_Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring._

 

 _I guess that answers that question_ Sirius mused.

 

They waited anxiously for the rings to end and finally the familiar voice filled the room.

 

“Hello? So, you made it to day two then? Congratulations!”

 

Sirius smiled slightly at Harry’s odd mix of sarcasm and sincerity in his wording. _Thanks pup…._

 

“By now of course you would have seen the animatronics in ‘night mode’….”

 

Sirius snorted. Yeah, they had seen the bots in ‘night mode’ all right.

 

“…so I’m not gonna talk quite as long this time. Gotta make sure you keep your focus, yeah?” Harry continued.

 

Sirius nodded along, reaching for the tablet as he listened.

 

“Freddy and the furry gang become more active as the week progresses so it’s best to keep checking those cameras while I talk just to make sure everyone's in their proper place. You know...”

 

“Way ahead of ya kiddo….” Sirius mumbled. He scanned the cameras, noticing Bonnie had already moved off the stage and was currently in the Dinning Area, watching the camera with a sinister grin.

 

“Interestingly enough, Freddy himself doesn't come off stage very often.”

 

Remus leaned forward, eager to hear this new piece of information that may help them get into the backstage area tomorrow night and solve this mystery. Sirius too leant in, intrigued to find out more about the robots.

 

“Lazy bastard likes to let his friends do all the work.”

 

“Huh, reminds me of a certain dog animagus I know…” Remus griped with a shark-toothed grin.

 

“Shut up.” Sirius shot back without any real malice, trying not to laugh to loudly at Harry’s out-of-the-blue snarky moments.

 

“He becomes a lot more active in the dark though, so don’t run out of power, okay? Fazbitch will be on ya in seconds if the power goes out.” Harry stated with a growl to his voice.

 

The two friends exchanged a look. They had seen Freddy themselves last night. They really didn’t feel like a repeat of that experience.

 

“Also worth mentioning are those door lights you probably saw last night…...or maybe not.”

 

“Door lights….” Remus mused. Sirius was confused by the comment. _What door lights?_

 

He watched as the other man got up from where he had perched himself on the edge of the desk and wondered over to the door. He observed panel next to the doorframe and it was only then that Sirius properly acknowledged the other button there that said as plain as day, ‘Light’. He hadn’t really noticed it the other night, too preoccupied with the killer animatronics to pay much attention to anything else.

 

Harry’s bored voice tugged him back to reality. “Anyway, there are blind spots in your camera views, and those blind spots happen to be right outside of your doors.”

 

Sirius frowned in shock and appal. “Who the hell thought that was a good idea?” He shouted, outraged.

 

Remus too seemed less than please by this revelation. “We could have been killed yesterday. Why didn’t Harry tell us in the first phone call?”

 

Before Sirius could think of a reply Harry spoke again.

 

“Yeah I know; as if shit couldn’t get worse right? I hope the guy who designed this place got fired.”

 

“Yeah, so do we.” Remus muttered.

 

“Anyway, if you can’t find something, or someone, on your cameras, be sure to check the door lights. You might only have a few seconds to react.” Harry casually commented as if talking about the weather.

 

Sirius huffed. “Yeah, I can believe that.” He replied in a clipped tone, thinking of their previous run in with the animatronics.

 

“Also, check on the curtain in Pirate Cove now and then. The character in there seems unique in that he becomes more active if the cameras remain off for long periods of time. Guess he doesn't like being watched. I don't know.”

 

Remus grabbed the tablet from him and flipped through to CAM 1C and found that there was no sign of Foxy….for now.

 

“Anyway, I'm sure you have everything under control! Talk to you tomorrow.” Harry finished in an unusually chipper tone before the line cut off.

 

The wizards sat back, contemplating all the new information given to them as well as Harry’s odd behaviour on the phone. It was strange how he went from sounding bored and apathetic at one moment, to angry and bitter and then bizarrely happy.

 

 _Just another mystery_ Sirius surmised as he noted that Bonnie was now coming down the hall. He reached over for the door button as Remus grabbed the tablet and looked for the now missing chicken.

 

Sirius was just about to press the door button when he saw them. He openly gaped in bewilderment at the sight of the silhouettes of two men standing down the hall; the only colours visible in the shadowy building being the purple of their uniforms and the bright scarlet of blood, as the door dropped shut.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

It had been two hours since midnight and Remus was already at his wits end. Sirius had been frustratingly distracted ever since he stopped Bonnie getting in earlier and since then they had had two close calls with Chica and a visit from Foxy. He had no idea what had gotten into Padfoot but he needed his friend to focus.

 

Remus turned to find Sirius standing by the West Hall door. “Sirius?”

 

No answer.

 

“Sirius!”

 

Silence.

 

Remus snarled. “SIRIUS!”

 

Finally the canine animagus jumped and swung round to face him. Remus glared. “Finally! What’s gotten into you? You have to pay attention Padfoot! Chica almost made you her dinner back there!”

 

Sirius winced, nodding guiltily. “I know, I’m sorry Moony. Something just…..surprised me is all.”

 

Remus blinked in confusion. “What? Did you see something?”

 

Sirius hesitated before inclining his head in agreement. “I’ll tell you later. You’re right. There’s no use dwelling on it now…” he trailed off before dashing over to the East Hall and closing the door on an approaching Chica.

 

Remus jumped, surprised and embarrassed to realise he had completely forgot to check the cameras.

 

_Right, I need to focus if we are going to save Harry…_

 

_“….You can’t…..”_

 

Remus yelped in shock, startling Sirius as he raised the East Hall door now that the coast was clear. “Something wrong Remy?” He called, somewhat cheekily.

 

Remus ignored his lesser liked nickname and shook his head jerkily. “No, just thought I heard something.”

 

Sirius nodded while Remus returned to watching the cameras and taking notes on the Fazbear gang’s movements, decidedly ignoring how familiar the voice had sounded.

 

_It’s just my imagination…._

_Right?_

 

…………………………………………………………

 

It was nearing five am now and things had started to get steadily worse as the night progressed. They had two more visits from the pirate fox and several times had they needed to deal with Bonnie and Chica. Freddy, just as Harry had predicted, had not moved off the stage all night.

 

This wasn’t what had both Sirius and Remus on edge though. Sirius had seen the shift in Remus mood shortly after his odd outburst earlier. He knew the sandy-blonde man had seen or heard something but had not said anything on the matter yet.

 

In the two hours that had passed since then Sirius had heard what sounded like children’s laughter as well as what he was sure was two males talking; both sounds coming from up the hallways. He also saw yet another figure, this times of a little boy, sitting against the wall in the East Hall. He had outright refused to investigate that one, positive it was a trick. Sure enough the child disappeared without a trace shortly after. Remus too seemed to be having a rough night. However, what his friend was experiencing remained a mystery to him for now.

 

About half an hour ago they had once again switched roles and now Remus was guarding the doors; his werewolf speed and agility making it much easier for him to leap from one door to another. Sirius on the other hand was busy sorting through the cameras, noting bleakly that they were down to just 11% battery at this point.

 

_I hope the power holds out. I’m not in the mood to be stuck in this place in the dark with Fazbear and his buddies running round._

 

He sighed as he flicked to the next one, CAM 2A, and saw Bonnie staring back at him with menacing eyes. Calling a quick warning to Remus, he then flicked over to CAM 5. Once again not noticing any brightly coloured robots, he prepared to move on to the next one. That was when he saw it. Standing in the corner, just behind the door was a figure. A very human looking figure.

 

It wasn’t like the shadowy illusions and distorted images he had been seeing the rest of the night. This one was in clear focus; solid and real looking. There was a person in the pizzeria.

 

Sirius shakily leaned in to get a closer look. For some reason though, the sight of the figure made his stomach turn. _I’m just worried they’ll be caught by the Fazbitch gang. That’s all…._

 

The image became clearer the closer he got and then, much to Sirius’ shock and disbelief, a very familiar face came into view.

 

_Harry!_


	12. Chapter 11 – Hope is a Dangerous Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter? So soon? Wow, I’ve even surprised myself! I’ll be honest. I’ve been just dying to get to this part of the story. We only have a few chapters left; 3-4 at the most. Things are about to get interesting. I hope you’re all excited! 
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think of this chapter! I just adore reading your comments!

** Chapter 11 – Hope is a Dangerous Game **

 

20th July – Sirius and Remus

 

Sirius stared at the image of his godson in a mixed myriad of emotions. It started with disbelief. They had been having such a dysfunctional night with everything going on. Not to mention the sleep deprivation, which he was certain Remus was probably going to use as an explanation for the night’s events. Despite how realistic it seemed, it was very likely he was having a hallucination. Logically he knew this. They wanted to find Harry. That coupled with little sleep and paranoia, courtesy of the Fazbear Gang, was more then enough to make him imagine Harry being here.

 

However, his heart refused to believe the facts.

 

The facts so far were all pointing to a reality he did not wish to face. They had slowly been coming to the horrible conclusion that this mission of theirs was becoming less of a search and rescue and more of a search and recover/seek vengeance type of mission. The likelihood that Harry was still alive had dropped significantly after their first night here. So, it could not be possible that Harry was here right now…..could it? It couldn’t be real.

 

However, when the image did not change and he found his gaze still meeting the bright green orbs of his godson through the camera lens, disbelief turned to hope. It was him. It was really his pup! He knew in the back of his mind something was terribly wrong with this whole thing but after all the emotional ups and downs, all he could do right now was focus on one thing as he called Remus over to have a look.

 

They had finally found Harry.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

To say Remus Lupin was shocked would be the understatement of a lifetime. After all this time and effort searching for the truth behind the disappearance of their late friends’ son, to see him now was easily enough to leave him floored with the emotional overload. A part of Remus just wanted to sprint down those halls, faster than Foxy could ever hope to move, and tug his pup into his arms with the promise to never let go.

 

However, another part of him was so uncertain about what he was seeing. How could it possibly be Harry? What was he even doing here, standing in the backstage area like that; unsettlingly gazing at the camera very much like Bonnie was prone to doing? Surely Harry had to be well aware of the dangers here by now?

 

He thought back to yesterday, seeing the figure at the window of the pizzeria. He was certain now that it had indeed been Harry, or at least the entity that looked like his cub. The question now remained, what was he doing and where was he constantly disappearing to?

 

On one hand this was far too crazy to be real and yet, how could that not be Harry? It wasn’t like all those passing occurrences that had been happening all night; the voices, the hallucinations. No, Harry hadn’t disappeared before they could get a decent look. He was still standing there. Emerald-green eyes; scruffy, black hair and a lightning-bolt scar. His godson, his cub.

 

He continued to examine the image and that was when he properly took in the boy’s appearance. It was difficult to make out in the low-resolution image but he could just see what he was certain where blood splatters all over his uniform, which was a match to the outfits they were wearing now. He could also see what looked like wounds on his arms, neck and even a few on his face. The sight was concerning to say the very least.

 

Sirius seemed to have finally overcome his excitement enough to have seen this too. He jumped to his feet and without another word, took off out of the office. Thankfully he had raced down the East Hall as Remus was certain Bonnie was still hanging out in the West Hall somewhere.

 

Remus glanced down at the tablet and was stunned to see that Harry had moved and was standing in front of the stage, still with that dead look in his eyes. The werewolf felt his gut twist as he saw Freddy, still on the stage, glance in Harry’s direction.

 

 _Move,_ he mentally pleaded, _move cub!_

 

He was vaguely aware of Sirius running back in, having realised his friend had not followed, but his eyes were only on Harry. He watched but much to his shock Freddy just turned away.

 

_The animatronic ignored him….? Or, could he not see him…? What’s going on…._

 

Sirius grabbed his arm, attempting to pull him out of his seat so they could go get Harry and get out of here. Remus yelped and scolded Sirius just as he caught sight of Harry disappearing of the screen and moving into the East Hall. The werewolf shivered, a chill going down his spine. Harry was coming their way.

 

Why did that send a bolt of fear straight to his heart?

 

Sirius, having either not noticed or not cared about Harry’s obviously off behaviour, gave up on getting Remus’ attention and turned to go out the door.

 

It was only then that Remus noticed the image of the stage once more. All three animatronics were back in place. 6am had come and gone and they hadn’t even noticed. That made him relax marginally. Surely if it wasn’t Harry but just another part of this place’s tricks, the figure would have gone away when 6am rolled around, wouldn’t it? He still felt that familiar prickle of unease.

 

He turned back to tell Sirius that they should wait and talk about this only to find that Sirius had raced ahead, following the hall down towards the main stage.

 

_Right towards Harry._

Remus quickly ran after him and watched as his friend called out to the, now surprisingly, retreating figure with all the desperation of a dying man. “Harry! Harry, wait! Harry?”

 

“ _It’s me…._ ”

 

Harry’s reply drifted back to them from where he had now disappeared around the corner into the Dinning Area. Sirius, so lost in his hope, kept going. However, the chilling words froze Remus in his path.

 

 _‘It’s me’._ The werewolf suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of unease wash over him like a wave. Those words. He had heard them before tonight; when the strange golden version of Freddy had appeared to him earlier in the office; seen them on the walls and on the sign outside Pirate Cove. Hell, he had even heard that ghost kid from the East Hall say it……

 

_Ghost!_

 

Remus faltered as it all clicked into place. Of course the figure was a spirit. It made sense that he just appeared in the backstage area without either of them seeing him come in, that Freddy had not paid him any attention. That wasn’t Harry. At least, not their living, breathing godson. This was all a sick joke and Remus did not want to stick around for the punch line. And yet…….if it was Harry? If it really was his cub’s ghost then he needed to know. Perhaps Harry wanted to show them something; a clue, a way to end this, anything! He wouldn’t believe it was Harry till he saw some undeniable proof but regardless of whether this was Harry or not, they needed to follow him.

 

With a heavy heart Remus bolted after Padfoot.

 

The spectre, despite appearing to only be walking, moved incredibly fast. By the time they had reached the Dining Area, he was already moving into the Backstage Area with the ease of a person taking a leisurely stroll along the beach.

 

They exchanged a look before dashing into the room. They had been dying to get in here and now here they were.

 

The first thing they noticed was that Harry had vanished. Scanning the room, now that the main lighting was back up, didn’t reveal as much as they had hoped for; not that they were surprised the room was still pretty dark. However, it was apparent they were the only people here.

 

Devastated, Sirius slumped against the doorframe with his head in his hands; shoulders shaking with repressed sobs. Remus sighed; he wanted to say something but knew they were on limited time. Someone would show up soon to set up for the day if they weren’t already in the building.

 

With that he left the ex-fugitive to sort himself out while he looked around. At first nothing seemed amiss. The room looked as it did on the cameras; a table with a spare endoskeleton, spare suits and other animatronic parts. However, walking deeper into the room he noticed the area at the back that wasn’t visible on camera.

 

He walked through an open doorway into another section of the backstage area. The first thing he saw, to his left, was a stack of cleaning supplies and dirty rags. Getting closer he nearly choked on the horrendously extreme scent of bleach but under that he could smell what he had suspected he would find. Blood; lots of it and from many different people. The rags may have been ‘cleaned’ but the stains and lingering smell said more than enough. Amongst the scents he could clearly smell Harry’s blood. He forced back the bile and closed his eyes for a second.

 

_Calm down, Remus. Focus. You can’t break down. Not now._

 

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. To his right was a rickety old table that had likely been put back here after being broken and subsequently forgot about. On top were old papers and scraps of little importance. However, he spotted something underneath the table that got his interest.

 

Pulling it out he recognised it as being a tape recorder. Despite it being an unusual sight in this day and age he could tell it was fairly new. Pocketing the device he turned and looked further into the room.

 

He saw many intriguing things at once; another bench, with several suspicious stains both on and around it, a box shaped like a present in the back left corner, stairs to the far right leading down to who knows where and what looked to be like a sealed off door in the back, the old wallpaper having been rotted away to the point that one could just make out another door there.

 

Remus was about to move over to the table when a voice had him rooted to the spot.

 

“What are you doing back here? Your shift ended an hour ago! And where is the other one?”

 

“Fuck,” Remus swore as he recognised the voice of Mr Davis interrogating Sirius.

 

He turned back and ran into the room, glancing over his shoulder just in time to spot Harry and another person standing in the corner of the room, just by the stairs, watching him with unreadable expressions.

 

Before he could call out to the two spectres Mr Davis had stormed up to him and asked in a forced polite voice, “Mr Luwin was it? What are you doing back here? This area is for the mechanics only.”

 

Remus frowned. “It’s Lupin and I’m sorry Mr Davis. We thought we saw someone run in here and thought we would check it out before we left. In case it was a break in, you know?”

 

Mr Davis stared at him with hard, calculating eyes before giving him a far to cheery grin and clasped him on the shoulder. “Ah, no worries then. Is your friend alright? He seems a little….dazed. And did you find anyone back here?”

 

Remus glanced at Sirius who stood in the doorway to the Dining Area, assumedly watching the animatronics, before he shook his head. “No, we didn’t see anyone. Must have been a trick of the light. And Sirius will be just fine. He’s just a little tired,“ he lied smoothly.

 

Davis nodded slowly and Remus got the impression the man did not believe him. “Well then, if that’s all sorted out I believe it’s time you two left then, hmmm? You’ll have another big night tonight.”

 

Remus quickly agreed, eager to leave. He hooked his arm around Sirius’ and they were about to head out when Davis called back to them. “Oh, and gentlemen?”

 

They both paused and looked back to see Davis standing in the middle of the first room, with Harry and the other man standing behind him, unknowns to Davis.

 

“Whatever you saw back here is _strictly_ for employees only. I’m sure you understand that it needs to remain _a secret_.” Davis grinned at them savagely, a Freddy head held in his hands. “I’d hate for anything to have to happen to you. I’m sure you can agree?”

 

Remus tensed and he could feel Sirius do the same at the obvious threat. Still, he plastered on a fake smile and said. “Of course, Mr Davis.”

 

With that they turned to leave, Remus just catching the now desperate stares of the two spirits at the back of the room.

_Don’t worry Harry. We’ll fix this. Somehow..…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that was interesting, yes? 
> 
> So many questions! What is on the tape recorder? What is down the stairs? Is Harry trying to help them? Hurt them? Is something bigger at play here? Is it even really Harry?
> 
> All shall be revealed in the next few chapters!


	13. Chapter 12 - It All Comes Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So…..i’m alive! 
> 
> I’m very sorry about the huge delay in getting this out. I’ve been unbelievably busy. 
> 
> Anyway, only three chapters to go I think. Maybe four. The next chapter is going to be very exciting! I think you’ll like it :) I should get it out in the next week. 
> 
> I also just wanted to address a comment I received on FanFiction.net. Yes, I know some people wanted Harry to be an animatronic. However, I changed my mind for three reasons. One, the majority of FNAF/Harry Potter stories have him becoming an animatronic. I wanted to do something different. Two, I did try writing it that way but the writer’s block was horrendous. I found the story flowed for me this way instead. Three, I felt it added a better connection to the Wizarding World. It adds a further mythical sense and gives the story a deeper sense of mystery. I hope this answers your question.
> 
> With that said, here we go!

** Chapter 12 – It All Comes Together **

 

20th-21st July – Sirius and Remus

 

Back at Remus’ place, a sombre mood had descended upon the house. The horrifying image of a bloodied, mangled Harry wondering the halls of Freddy’s would not leave Sirius’ mind. By the look of Remus’ pale face and hollow eyes, he didn’t seem to be dealing well with the emotionally draining revelation either.

 

It had taken several failed attempts at sleep, a lot of coffee and a few tears but they had finally discussed everything they had seen the previous night as well as what Remus had found backstage. The evidence was overwhelming now. Harry was dead. They couldn’t deny that anymore; no matter how agonising it was to admit. However, one thing still remained uncertain. Was the eerie spirit they had seen really Harry? Or was it an entity just wearing their godson’s face?

 

Remus was back to pouring over the ghost books, leaving Sirius to stare off into space; his mind a whole mile away. _What would Lily and James think? Was Harry with them now? Or was he trapped in that horrid place; stuck forever in the same building where his young life was senselessly torn from him?_

 

_What could they do to help fix this?_

_Was there even a way to fix this?_

_Or was it completely hopeless?_

…………………………………………………………

 

The sandy-haired male glanced at his friend before looking back at the book in his lap. It was one of the ones he had found in Harry’s room. He knew he wouldn’t find anything new in the, now familiar, pages. It was the same stuff he had already read. He was able to draw a few conclusions though, having seen ‘Harry’ and the other mysterious figure that morning.

 

He was almost certain they were dealing with spirits. Much to his surprise, ghosts and spirits were actually two different things. Much like how poltergeists, like Peeves, and ghosts, like the House Ghosts at Hogwarts, were also drastically different.

 

Spirits were translucent but not transperant; meaning they still kept their colour and could even cast a shadow. They were see-through to a degree but not to the extent of a ghost. They could also interact with the world around them. However, this was a very difficult and draining task so most didn’t bother with it and they could only do so for short periods of time. That could explain the phone recordings though. It was a way for the spirits to talk with them. Communicating directly was hard but with the assistance of the phone’s electro-magnetic waves, it was much easier.

 

While ghosts chose to come back through means of magic; spirits were unable to move on for various reasons, regardless of whether they wanted to stay or not. Spirits were also able to have been muggles or wizards. They became attached to an object or place, their ‘anchor’, and were unable to move too far away from it. Ghosts, however, could come and go as they pleased.

 

It explained a lot really. The spirits of those killed at Freddy’s were stuck there because they wanted the culprit behind their deaths to be discovered. Or perhaps something else was holding them back from moving on? Whatever the reason, they had either become attached to the robots, i.e. the children, or the building, i.e. ‘Harry’ and the other person. They couldn’t pass over to the other side and, according to the book, without magic helping to keep the souls bound to the Earth; spirits would become restless, violent even. They didn’t want to be here and most would inevitably become dangerously obsessed with what was keeping them trapped. Hence, the children using the robots to attack the guards. They just wanted to be free.

 

However, some things remained unclear. The hallucinations, the objects seemingly appearing and disappearing out of thin air, the strange behaviour of some of the most newer spirits…..Remus resolutely tried to not think of Harry in that moment……they were all outliers. Normal spirits weren’t that powerful. The only thing Remus could compare it to was a demonic entity.

 

Demonic spirits weren’t connected to religion like most muggles believed. These were spirits who had either been dead a long time, therefore they had become unhinged, or had already been evil to begin with. The souls of murderers who remained stuck in the realm of the living, for example, may become a demonic entity more quickly then the soul of a child. The longer the spirit remained on the Earth, the more twisted by anger, grief and obsession it became. If someone had summoned a demon to the pizzeria, it would explain how the souls became trapped there and why they were behaving so bizarrely. The dark energy in the building was twisting the souls inside. Spirits would become dark beings on their own if no one helped them move on. However, the presence of such a dark creature sped up the process.

 

Remus suddenly slammed the book he was reading shut. If what the books said was true; and if the boy they saw was really Harry, they did not have long before Harry may become one of the demonic spirits himself. The annoying thing was that none of the books explained how to deal with demons and trapped spirits. It just said that spirits needed to be freed from what was keeping them here. If that was the case, then the Freddy’s spirits were most likely stuck there until the one responsible for their deaths was found. They would need to look into the culprit behind the children’s murders as well as Mr Davis. However, if it was a demonic entity that was trapping the spirits? They would need to get rid of it. Unfortunately, Remus had no clue how to do that.

 

Remus began to pace. They had eight hours until they needed to be back at Freddy’s. If they were going to solve this mystery, they would need to do something quickly. An idea popped into his head.

 

“Sirius?” Remus queried, glancing at the seemingly catatonic dog animagus.

 

Sirius nearly fell over in surprise but seemed to right himself just in time. He glared angrily at the smirking werewolf. “What?”

 

“I think I might know what’s going on here…”

 

After explaining what he had learned about spirits and demons, they both came to the conclusion that something had to be done before they lost Harry for good.

 

Luckily, Remus had an idea. “I’m going to look into something. A potential lead on how to free the spirits. I want you to see what you can dig up on Davis and the history of Freddy’s; the American restaurants to be exact.”

 

Sirius stared at him blankly. “Okay, I understand Davis but why the American branches? We already saw what Harry and Hermione found out.”

 

Remus shook his head. “I know. Just look into past employees who may have died there. Not just the night guards. And see what you can learn about the one who killed the children.”

 

Sirius sighed. “How am I supposed to find this stuff Moony? I’m not exactly the best at blending in with the muggles.”

 

Remus rolled his eyes. “Believe me, I know.” He replied, ignoring Sirius’ indignant cry, “But we don’t have time to worry about that. Just…try the library.”

 

Sirius grabbed his shoes and got ready to leave, giving Remus a hard stare as he walked past. “Fine but I hope you know what you’re doing Moony. We have to end this madness.”

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Sirius yawned in exhaustion as he finally met up with Remus at Freddy’s. His shirt was untucked and not even buttoned up properly. His tie was left undone and simply draped around his neck haphazardly. His hat was on crooked and he had poked himself a number of four times whilst trying to pin on his badge. He was the picture of sleep deprived but really, it was the least of his concerns these days. He collapsed into the office chair; in no way ready for the night ahead.

 

Remus turned up just a few minutes later and how he could manager to have an impeccable uniform and look so alert was beyond the ex-fugitives comprehension. Before Sirius could question him on the miracle, Remus beat him to it. “So, how’d it go? Anyone suspicious?”

 

Sirius grimaced, remembering the looks he got when he asked what he thought were completely reasonable questions. Why was ‘What’s a computer?’ such a big deal anyway?

 

“Yeah, it was fine. Honestly, you had nothing to worry about.”

 

Remus snorted, not believing a word, but let it drop. “What did you find out?”

 

Sirius gave a very doggish whine at the thought of having to focus but didn’t dare argue. “Well, I looked into Freddy’s history. I couldn’t find anything particularly interesting about the deaths, or ‘disappearances’, of the employees. All seemed to follow the same pattern. The way I see it; none of them are the demonic being. Unless we are looking at the age of the spirit. Some died quite a few years back. Even so, they would have to have been attached to an object that was brought here. That’s where things get interesting. Look at what I found out about our child killer….” Sirius trailed off, digging in his backpack to pull out a file.

 

Remus grabbed the document and began reading as Sirius continued. “Apparently they suspected the killer to be an employee. They believe that he or she used a costume to lure the kids out of sight and murder them. They also believe that the culprit might also be responsible for the murder of Zack Wolloway a few years prior. Anyway, an employee went missing just two weeks later. His name was William Afton. The body was never found but check this out…”

 

Sirius pointed to something on the file and Remus sucked in a sharp breath. “An animatronic was decommissioned…”

 

Sirius nodded grimly. “One of the old ones. It was called ‘Spring Bonnie’ apparently. The staff called it ‘Springtrap’ though since the suit was very faulty. Wearing it was akin to a death sentence. That’s right, you could actually climb into these ones like a costume. Crazy right? The animatronic went missing for a while before they moved some of the old stuff over here. The Spring Bonnie bot was supposedly found and brought here. Why? I have no idea.”

 

Remus frowned in thought. “If Afton was the murderer and he wound up in the Spring Bonnie suit somehow…”

 

“….then he could be our demonic spirit? Yeah, my thoughts exactly. The guy was certainly evil enough to fit the profile.” Sirius finished.

 

Remus ran a shaking hand through his hair. “If that is true though, why have we never seen Spring Bonnie before? Surely, if Afton is possessing an animatronic and trying to kill more people, we would see him wondering the halls at night?”

 

Sirius shrugged. “Maybe he can’t? The suit is old. Perhaps he can’t move in it because it’s too badly damaged? Or maybe he’s trapped? You said yourself that there was a partly sealed off door backstage and some stairs leading down somewhere. Maybe that’s what ‘Harry’ and mystery man were trying to show us? They wanted us to know where the murderer was.”

 

Remus nodded. “That could be true;” he agreed, “provided those spirits were on our side. They could have also been trying to bring us down there so Afton could kill us, you know?” Remus wanted to believe that if the spirit was indeed his cub, that Harry was still on their side. In the end though, they had to be cautious.

 

Sirius shrugged. He too was suspicious but the two entities hadn’t attacked them yet. He would try to be optimistic…..well, as optimistic as one can be at a time like this.

 

Remus sat down heavily on the desk before getting back to the topic at hand. “If Spring Bonnie is there…..”

 

“Springtrap,” Sirius but in.

 

“Excuse me?” Remus queried.

 

“Springtrap. Sounds more accurate to me.” Sirius explained with a dismissive air.

 

Remus rolled his eyes but couldn’t deny that the wizard had a point. “Fine, if _Springtrap_ is somewhere backstage we will have to be careful. This isn’t a child possessing the suit but an adult, experienced killer. Not to mention we have no idea how powerful he is as a demonic spirit.”

 

They both fell into a thoughtful silence before Remus caught his attention again. “Did you find out anything about Davis?”

 

Sirius perked up. “Oh, yeah! Yeah, I did actually. Turns out our boss is just about as mysterious as our furry friends at Freddy’s.”

 

Remus snorted at the poor sense of humour but otherwise remained stoic. Sirius rambled on without prompting. “I managed to find someone who helped me get some info on Davis. Apparently he was an ex-employee. Anyway, Davis’ has all his recent records in tact; residency records, the deed to the restaurant, driver’s licence and no criminal record. However, his papers only go back a few years.”

 

Remus blinked. “What?”

 

Sirius nodded somewhat excitedly. “Yep. No birth certificate, school records, medical history. Nada. He just seemed to appear out of thin air. Kinda suss don’t you think? Especially since no one seems to have questioned it?”

 

Remus hummed agreeing. “I’ll see if Kingsley can find anything for us about Davis. He’s good at his job; quick, efficient. If anyone can do it, he can.”

 

Sirius dipped his head in agreement. “Did you find out anything?”

 

Remus grinned. “Yeah, I did. I might have found a way to stop the demon.”

 

Sirius looked up, eyes hopeful. “How?”

 

Remus waved him off. “You’ll see. First we need to find out if your theory about Afton is correct.”

 

Sirius dropped his head into his hands in disappointment. “So, what now?”

 

Remus glanced at the clock.

 

11:58pm.

 

“We get through this shift and try to find Springtrap in the morning.”

 

…………………………………………………………

 

“Hello? Hey you're doing great!”

 

Harry’s cheery voice once again flooded the office as his two godfathers’ listened on. Sirius flinched at the familiar voice; in no mood to jokingly reply with the knowledge that he would likely never get the chance to properly speak to Harry again weighing on his mind. Remus too had a deeply saddened look on his face, only marred by a slight glint of curiosity. Sirius idly wondered what Remus was thinking about but figured the werewolf would tell him if it was important.

 

“Most people don’t last this long, for obvious reasons……” Harry continued, voice trailing off into what they could only describe as a contemplative silence. The two exchanged looks, uneasy over the blatant admission.

 

“Uh, anyway I better not take up too much of your time. Things start getting real tonight.” Harry went on in a suddenly serious tone.

 

Sirius moaned. “What? You’re telling me those things are going to get more aggressive?” Of course Harry gave no reply.

 

“So, on my third night, the previous night guard tried to suggest a way to avoid being killed by the animatronics. He said I should ‘try playing dead’. You know, go limp. He reckoned that then the characters might think I was an empty costume instead.”

 

Remus and Sirius exchanged a look. Harry had again switched from sounding uncharacteristically stern to extremely amused as he retold this particular tale. It was unusual. As for the idea of playing dead…..”It could work.” Sirius stated optimistically.

 

Before Remus could say anything, Harry said it for him.

 

“Of course, if they see you as an empty costume; they might try to shove one of those metal skeletons into you. Sounds kinky and all but personally, I really don’t want to try that and I should hope you don’t either.”

 

Sirius choked on a laugh as Remus shook his head in a mixture of exasperation and disbelief at Harry’s flippant attitude. Really? He wasn’t all that surprised. Harry really was a lot like James when he wasn’t worrying about dark wizards and neglectful relatives.

 

Harry’s jovial tone wavered slightly as he finished up the message. “I’m sure I don’t need to explain that that wouldn’t end well for you. Really, don’t try it. Just make sure you aren’t caught. Anyway, I’ll leave you to it. In the words of Scott Cawthon, I’ll see you on the flip side!”

 

Click.

 

Remus stared in confusion at the phone. ”Who’s Scott Cawthon?”

 

Sirius shrugged. “Must be that old night guard he was talking about I guess.”

 

Remus nodded. Sirius was probably right. He pondered the thought. Was it possible Scott was the name of that spirit that had seen hanging around Harry?

 

Remus turned to look at Sirius thoughtfully. “Do you think the phone messages are pre-recorded?”

 

Sirius gave him a strange look. “Yeah…….Sounds like it to me. Why? You don’t think so?”

 

Remus looked at the phone. “I’m not sure….When would Harry have had time to do this? Taking your eyes off the animatronics to record a message, especially on your first week, can’t possibly end well. The way he words some things, his attitude…..it just doesn’t match up to me. He doesn’t sound like someone who is juggling recording a message and trying to keep an eye out for large, deadly robots at the same time. He sounds too…..relaxed.”

 

Sirius stared at him. “So, you think he’s leaving us the recordings now? Why not just talk to us. Why make them sound like pre-recorded messages?”

 

Remus pushed away from the table and began to pace. “I dunno. Maybe it’s meant to be a trick? This place likes to play mind games with us. Who knows? It might not even be Harry at all. Just something using his voice.”

 

Sirius looked off into the distance, clearly lost in thought. Remus swiped a hand across his face and sat down on the table. He picked up the table and began scanning the cameras. There was no more time to question anything tonight. Now, they needed to learn as much as they could about the animatronics habits and survive the night.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

“Fuck!” Sirius shouted as he just closed the door on a lunging Foxy. The loud, booming clang of metal on metal seemed to rock the whole building. Slumping against the wall, he barely had time to catch a breath before Remus warned him that Chica was in the East Hall.

 

The night had been hectic. Harry really hadn’t been joking around when he said things would start getting real tonight. _Is this seriously what Harry had to deal with all by himself? How did he do it? Or are the furry gang being more difficult with us because there is more then one guard?_

 

“SCREECH!”

 

“Shit!”

 

Sirius flung himself at the opposite door with all the desperation of a dying man. Hell, if he missed he really would be a dying man. His hand hit the button with only a fraction of a second to spare. Panting with a mixture of relief and fatigue, Sirius risked a glance over his shoulder. Remus looked anything but impressed.

 

“Sirius, what the hell are you doing? If Chica got in…”

 

“I know Moony! I know, its just….” Sirius trailed off, not wanting to speak about what was really on his mind.

 

Remus sighed, sparing a quick glance at the cameras before raising both doors. “Whatever it is, it’s distracting you Padfoot and we can’t risk that. We both need to be focused here. So, what is it?”

 

Sirius exhaled slowly, feeling his shoulders sag in defeat. Remus was right, of course. Maybe talking about it would ease his mind; even if only a little. “It’s just….I can’t stop thinking about Harry.”

 

Remus’ stern expression slipped into one of sympathy. He went to speak but Sirius plunged on. If he was interrupted now he would never get it out. “He was here, all alone. He must have been so scared Moony, so miserable. He needed my help and I……I wasn’t there……I’m a terrible godfather. James and Lily should have never chosen me.”

 

Remus shook his head. “Siri, we didn’t know about thi….”

 

“I’m not just talking about this Moony!” Sirius interrupted harshly. “I mean all throughout Harry’s life I wasn’t there. I wasn’t there on that Halloween. I wasn’t there to raise him in a loving home. I wasn’t there for his first day at Hogwarts. I wasn’t there to save him from Voldermort and now, when he needed me the most, I….I wasn’t there…..”Sirius dropped his head as tears began to spill from his eyes.

 

Remus was silent and Sirius vaguely wondered what was going on in the other’s head. Was he thinking over what Sirius said? Did he agree that he was a bad godfather?

 

The canine animagus jumped slightly when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Peaking up, he saw Remus standing over him with a gentle, comforting smile. “Sirius, what happened was not your fault okay. You didn’t know this, any of this, would happen. I don’t blame you, Harry doesn’t…….didn’t blame you and Lily and James wouldn’t blame you so stop blaming yourself.”

 

Sirius nodded slowly, decidedly ignoring Remus’ stumble as he spoke about Harry. He didn’t quite believe it. It had to be his fault, didn’t it? Still, he did feel slightly better, having got it off his chest. If Remus had noticed the doubt still there, he didn’t say anything about it yet. Instead, he pulled his friend to his feet and they continued on with the night.

 

“Foxy’s coming!”

 

“Shit!”

 

…………………………………………………………

 

6am rolled around and with only 1% power to spare. It had been exhausting to say the very least. Remus had to think that the main reason no one had investigated the murderous animatronics before was because they were too busy sleeping during the day to have time to research anything before their next shift started.

 

Sirius was basically dead on his feet, the dark-haired man swaying on the spot as Remus grabbed his bag. The werewolf wanted to go home and sleep as much as Sirius did. However, they needed to finish this soon. They couldn’t keep doing this. They’d die for sure. The sooner they put the last puzzle pieces in place, the sooner they could get a full nights sleep.

 

“We should check those rooms backstage.” Remus finally broke the silence.

 

Sirius groaned but didn’t argue. This was too important to put off; even in favour of a little much-needed sleep.

 

The two shuffled down the hall and the uneasy silence shrouded them in a sense of trepidation. Remus thought over how they hadn’t seen the spirits last night. No visions, no voices, no objects appearing out of nowhere. It was just them and the Fazbear gang and that set off alarm bells more then anything else.

 

Was this Harry’s way of telling them they were on the right track? Or was something else going on?

 

They found themselves standing in the backstage area, facing the strange door and the steps leading down to who knew what.

 

Sirius, finally looking more awake, looked at him from the corner of his eye. “So, should we split up or….”

 

“No,” Remus muttered. “I think we should stick together. We don’t know what we will find.”

 

Sirius answered by grabbing his torch and gesturing to the stairs.

 

“After you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? 
> 
> Before anyone asks, I have not forgotten the tape they found earlier. That will make an appearance either next chapter, or the one after. 
> 
> What do you think Remus’ plan is? Do you think Harry is trying to help? Or has he been corrupted? What is Davis’ real agenda? Who is he?
> 
> Keep the guesses coming!


	14. Chapter 13 - Hidden Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we go. The next chapter is here. 
> 
> A warning now. This chapter gets very gruesome and has some seriously disturbing themes. I’m not going to say what as it would be spoilers but let’s just say it isn’t for the faint of heart. This is a horror story after all. Read at your own risk.

** Chapter 13 – Hidden Secrets **

 

21st-22nd July – Sirius and Remus

 

The staircase was dark, creaky and filled with cobwebs. However, the thick coating of dust on the steps was disturbed with footsteps. Clearly, someone had been down here recently. As they continued to descend into the room below, a horrific stench filled the air. Remus, with his more sensitive sense of smell, resisted the urge to puke as he stopped at the bottom of the steps.

 

“Oh Merlin, what is that?” Sirius choked.

 

Remus shook his head, unable to speak.

 

Sirius shined the torchlight around the room, allowing Moony to get a clear view of the objects inside. He regretted that immediately. In the far left corner was a workbench. The once pale wood was tainted a deep scarlet with what could only be blood. The bench itself was scattered with a myriad of bloody surgical tools. To the left of the entrance, right along the same wall were what appeared to be animatronic suits. The costumes were soaked with blood and the cleaning products in front suggested that someone had been in the process of attempting to clean them up. On the right wall was a large set of shelves. The shelves held a variety of jars of various sizes. It was too dark to see exactly what they contained. The rest of the room was splattered with blood and shoved into the remaining corners were what looked like…..

 

“Are those…..bodies?” Sirius whispered shakily.

 

Remus nodded slowly, amber eyes distraught as he took in the disgusting sight. Corpses, mutilated beyond recognition, were everywhere. The scraps of purple fabric that could be occasionally seen leaving no mystery as to who the people most likely were. _The missing night guards._

 

Remus stepped further into the room, accidently kicking something small with his foot. Using his own torch, he searched for what it was and found a bloody nametag on the floor at his feet. Picking it up and gingerly wiping away the blood to read it, he gasped when he saw the name.

_Scott Cawthon._

He lowered his eyes and felt a pang of grief swell in his chest. He had no idea who the man was, what he looked like or where he was from. However, he didn’t deserve this. None of these people did. To be killed in such an atrocious way and then to have your body desecrated like this? No wonder these spirits were stuck here.

 

He turned after a minute of solemn silence to see Sirius examining the shelf. Feeling a foreboding sense of trepidation, Remus went to see what the other marauder was looking at. The sight would be something that would haunt him years from now. The jars and bottles were filled with various human remains; everything from eyes and hair to blood, hearts and even brains. Remus couldn’t stop himself now. He turned around and threw up in the corner.

 

What was going on in this place?

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Sirius ignored the sounds of Remus hurling in the corner. He ignored the gut-wrenching smells in the room. He ignored the chill that had infiltrated the stale air. He ignored everything except what was in front of him; that and his thoughts.

 

They never found Harry’s body. _Was he down here? Did one of these jars hold…..No, he couldn’t think about it. He just couldn’t._

 

Slowly turning away, he looked at the opposite side of the room. Right near the workbench was another set of shelves. More like a bookcase really. On it were several old, weathered books and what appeared to be…….potions supplies?

 

Tentatively stepping over, he saw that they were indeed potions supplies. Vials, a cauldron, stirring rods and various potions ingredients; it was all there. Snapping his attention to the books, he found that they were potions books. Not just for any potions though. These were dark, twisted, evil and undeniably illegal potions; the kind that had been banned for hundreds of years. They weren’t deemed illegal just for what they did alone; although it would certainly be more then enough to get them banned regardless. No, these potions involved some truly disgusting ingredients. Human hearts, brains, livers, eyes, tongues and many, many other body parts. Some too involved ingredients from endangered species as well as creatures so powerful and pure, like unicorns, that to use them in potions was incredibly dangerous.

 

Sirius looked to the bench and found a few sheets of suspiciously pink paper he was certain had once been white. Picking them up, he saw that they contained lists of victims; most of the names he recognised from the missing persons files. They had the name of the person, age and what parts had been retrieved for sale.

 

_Sale._

 

Sirius felt an odd mixture of revulsion and blinding rage when he put it all together. This……this was a black market potions trade. Davis was harvesting body parts, no _ingredients_ , from the Fazbear gang’s killed victims and selling them for profit.

 

Sirius shakily scanned the names before he paused and sucked in a sharp breath. There, right at the bottom of the last page, were two names that he recognised. Harry Potter and Scott Cawthon.

 

Sirius dropped the pages, unable to read any more. This was bad enough as it was. It meant that Harry was in here, somewhere. Just another one of the managed piles of flesh and bone scattered about the room. He didn’t need to know what parts of his godson had been harvested to sell to some sick, twisted dark wizard.

 

He didn’t even realise he was crying until Remus came over and asked him what was wrong. Sirius showed him the pages without a word and dashed back up the stairs. He couldn’t stay in there. It was too much.

 

Remus wondered up not long after; pale, shaking and looking utterly beaten.

 

They looked into each other’s eyes and the message could not have been more clear.

 

They had wanted answers and that’s what they got.

 

Even if they were the last things they wanted to find.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Remus and Sirius stood facing the door for what felt like hours but had only been five minutes in reality. Remus twirled the tire iron in his hands while Sirius chucked the hammer he held back and forth from one hand to another. Both were still deeply shaken from what they had found down the steps but now they possessed an even deeper desire to bring this place down.

 

“We don’t have much time left before someone arrives. You ready to do this?” Remus whispered.

 

Sirius nodded slowly.

 

Stepping closer with a determined glare, Remus dug the tire iron into the gap that was visible and began to push down as hard as he possibly could. Sirius watched on, ready to help if needed. They knew they could possibly do this with magic, provided the room wasn’t warded, but had decided to do this the muggle way. It seemed more…..personal that way.

 

The door was pretty stuck and it took Remus around four minutes to finally wrench it open. Still, it was much quicker then he had expected. It hasn’t been sealed for as long as it seemed. Maybe a year or two at most.

 

Stepping inside, they both held a torch in one hand and the tool they had in the other, ready in case something lashed out at them. Nothing did.

 

Remus searched the room, eyes following the beam of light apprehensively. The room was very small and seemed almost empty. A few tattered, faded posters hung on the walls. Some decaying boxes sat against one of the walls and that was it except for the figure slumped in the far right corner. They both crept closer, shining the torchlight on the object and they both gasped in shock.

 

It looked like a rabbit-shaped animatronic. Its filthy, coarse fur was a puke-green colour and its eyes seemed to be a pale grey. The animatronic had certainly seen better days. It was torn in places; the gaping holes showing the endoskeleton underneath. Its right ear was almost completely gone and the mouth had been damaged; showing decayed, rusty metal teeth. All together it was a hideous looking creature. Remus could see why it was never repaired and put back on stage.

 

The former professor looked at Sirius and noticed the other male looked decidedly angry as he stared at the old Bonnie suit. He turned to Remus. “So, I guess that answers our question then. This has to be Springtrap.”

 

Remus hummed. “It would seem so. Now the question remains. Is Afton possessing it?”

 

They both turned back to the still lifeless robot. Sirius suddenly growled, stomping over to it and roughly nudging the prone figure with his shoe. “Hey, wake up you hunk of junk!”

 

Remus observed the rabbit animatronic carefully. He could see old stains on its fur but it was hard to tell if it was oil or blood. He could smell the sickening stench of decomposing flesh but couldn’t for the life of him tell if it was coming from Springtrap or the bodies down the stairs. When Sirius kicked the suit it didn’t move an inch.

 

Remus frowned. Was it possible they were mistaken? Was the suit only able to be active at night? Was Afton playing a stupid trick on them?

 

Sirius snarled again; all dog-like growls and teeth bared. “Listen here you sick fuck; I know you’re in there and we know what you did! You killed those kids and now you’re responsible for the deaths of all the night guards here! My godson include! We know it was you so quit messing with us and fucking do something already!”

 

Remus waited for any sign of life from the animatronic. Nothing. He shifted his eyes from the grotesque body to his friend. Sirius was huffing heavily and if he was honest with himself, the man looked about ready to have a mental breakdown. Remus couldn’t blame him.

 

He was about to try and calm Sirius down when he heard voices outside. _Shit, time to go._

 

“Sirius, come on. We need to leave.” He whispered urgently.

 

Sirius didn’t turn around. “No way Moony! I know its him. He’s doing it on purpose and…”

 

“Davis and the day guard are here! We need to go Sirius. We’ll sort this out tonight.” Remus insisted.

 

Sirius continued to stare daggers at Springtrap for a few more seconds before nodding stiffly. “Okay, tonight,” he relented, stating the final word like a challenge as he looked at the old animatronic once more.

 

As they turned and snuck back into the main building, neither man noticed two people standing at the top of the stairs; their purple uniforms tattered and splattered with blood.

 

Springtrap tilted his head to observe the two people as more began to wonder up the stairs after them. An evil grin settled on its face as the once grey eyes bled black; only two pin-pricks of white light left to be seen.

 

“Tonight indeed.”

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Sirius and Remus arrived back at Freddy’s, well rested and more determined then ever to set things right.

 

“If Springtrap isn’t the demonic spirit then we need to figure out who is.”

 

Sirius scoffed. “I’m telling you Moony, I still think its Afton. He’s just fucking around with us to piss us off. We should go back there and….”

 

Remus cut him off. “No Padfoot, it’s too dangerous. If we try that we might get stuck outside the office past midnight with the rest of the animatronics running about. Not to mention the spirits whose side we still aren’t sure they are on.”

 

Sirius hesitated but gave in. “Fine, we won’t go check on him now. Still, how will we figure it out? If they really can’t move about until they go into ‘night-shift’ mode, how do we know if he is the one possessed?”

 

Remus gave Sirius a classic ‘are you stupid’ look. “Padfoot, if he’s the one responsible for this, I doubt he’s just going to sit back there all night. Besides, he’s been trapped for who knows how long. He finally has the chance to move about again. Trust me, if Afton is Springtrap, we’ll be seeing him tonight.”

 

They made it to the office and got ready for the night ahead. Sirius took the chair while Remus went and put his bag in the locker. The dog animagus watched curiously as Remus began pulling out an old book. “What’s that Moony?”

 

“This, Padfoot, is what will help us deal with the demon. As soon as we find the object it is attached to, this should help us get rid of it.” Remus explained as he wondered over to the doors, ready to stop anything getting in. Sirius wanted to say more but then, just as it did every night at twelve, the phone rang.

 

Remus closed his eyes and seemed to ready himself for the ever painful experience of hearing their pup’s voice on the phone. Whether it was him or not was irrelevant. It hurt none the less. Sirius busied himself with the cameras, unsurprised to find Bonnie and Chica already on the move.

 

The phone stopped ringing.

 

A familiar click.

 

Then….

 

“Hello, hello?”

 

Sirius exhaled slowly and called a quick warning to Remus. “Bonnie.”

 

The message continued to play as the deafening bang of the door dropping into place shattered the silence of the building.

 

“Hey! Hey, wow, day four! I knew you could do it.”

 

Sirius felt his lips curve into a slight smile despite the stab of pain he felt at hearing Harry’s proud, cheery tone. “Thanks Harry.”

 

However, Harry’s next words had the grin on his face disappearing quicker then a Firebolt could fly. “Uh, hey, listen, I may not be around to send you a message tomorrow……”

 

Remus’ eyes snapped open and he turned to listen closely to the recording as well. Sirius faced the other man wearily. Something was wrong, deeply wrong. It was then that Sirius remembered exactly what night it was when Harry went missing. _No, please no…_

 

“Scratch that. I definitely won’t be here to send you a message tomorrow. It's-It's been a terrible night here for me. Heh, the animatronics really don’t like me that much. I probably shouldn’t have insulted them that much. Oh well, too late now. Um, I-I'm glad I recorded my messages for you when I did.”

 

Remus raised the West Hall door and lowered The East Hall one just as Chica arrived. They both sat down now and listened in an anxious silence as Harry’s nervous voice drifted through the air.

 

“Can you do me a favour?” Harry asked, voice quivering slightly.

 

“Of course pup,” Sirius murmured, eyes watering.

 

_Bang! Bang!_

 

Both wizards jumped, worried that the sound was in the building. However, there was nothing there. Remus used the door light to check if Chica, or even Freddy, was hanging around. The hall was empty.

 

“Was that…..?”

 

“Whatever you do; _don’t let him out_ ,” Harry implored, the words sounding more like a plea then a command. They stared at the phone; both wondering, with dread, if Harry was talking about Springtrap.

 

BANG!

 

‘SCREECH!”

 

They flinched away from the phone violently as the sounds of a struggle poured out of the receiver. Suddenly the sounds started to fade out, followed by Harry’s voice screaming out for help that they knew wasn’t coming.

 

“HELP! PLEASE! NO, DON”T…”

 

Click.

 

Sirius didn’t realise how much he was shaking until Remus laid a supportive hand on his shoulder. It lacked the desired effect though, considering the hand was shaking just as bad as Sirius himself. The ex-fugitive had to wonder what that must have been like for Remus. With his sensitive hearing, did he here more then what Sirius heard? He found that he really didn’t want to ask. What he had heard was bad enough and had left the dark-haired male stunned. _Harry’s final moments? Or did they torture him first, then finish him off? How much pain had the teen been in when it happened? Had he been thinking about them in his final moments? Ron and Hermione?_

_His parents?_

It was like knife to the heart to think about.

 

_What did they do to you pup?_

 

…………………………………………………………

 

That steely determination from before had been somewhat subdued by melancholy. The last phone recording looping in their minds as they tried to hold back the vicious animatronics.

 

Remus huffed in annoyance as Foxy made another dash for the Office. Every time that thing showed up and banged on the doors, he seemed to drain more and more power each time. “Sirius, Foxy!”

 

“Got it.”

 

Remus didn’t bother replying, instead he scanned the rest of the camera feeds. It was only 1:30am but the animatronics were roaming around in full force. Freddy had finally got off the stage and was currently hiding out by the bathrooms. Bonnie was backstage. Chica was in the kitchens again by the sound of things. He had seen Harry again on the cameras. He chose to ignore it and was about to skip to Pirate Cove again when something else caught his eye.

 

Harry was in the Dining Hall, staring directly at the camera with dead eyes. However, in the background he could see something else. He was initially going to dismiss it as being the other spirit Harry seemed to hang around. Cawthon perhaps? However, the shape was off.

 

Leaning in, Remus squinted in an attempt to see what was on the grainy footage. When he finally figured it out, a cold shiver went straight down his back.

 

Springtrap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, another chapter down.
> 
> I apologise guys. This was supposed to be the action-packed chapter but plot got in the way. I had to split it up due to length. So, that chapter will be the next one for sure. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one and it wasn’t too traumatic for you. 
> 
> Also, if you are wondering why the phone call seems different to how Harry actually died, the explanation will be coming soon.


	15. Chapter 14 - The Truth Hurts...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we go. The second last chapter for the story. I hope you guys really enjoy this! This is a new record for me. The longest single chapter I have ever written for a story :D A fair warning though, there is some seriously emotional stuff coming in this chapter and the next so be prepared for tears. 
> 
> Chapter 15 will be the exciting finale so keep an eye out for it :) After that, I will probably do an epilogue, unless I can fit everything in the last chapter.

**** ** Chapter 14 – The Truth Hurts… **

 

22nd-23rd July – Sirius and Remus

 

Sirius dashed over to the desk when he heard Remus’ shout. He wasn’t sure what to expect but what he saw certainly wasn’t it. The main reason for that was he didn’t see anything except the empty Dinning Area.

 

“What am I supposed to be looking at, Moony?”

 

Remus stared dumbfounded at him before looking back at the screen.

 

“What? No, he……he was there! In the corner…….” Remus stuttered, eyes flicking across the screen. Where did he go? Not only was the old rabbit animatronic gone but so was Harry.

 

Sirius was about to ask him again what happened when a noise in the hall got his attention. Remus dismissively shook his head.

 

If what he saw was true, they needed to focus.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Sirius glanced out into the East Hall, relieved to see it empty. They’d had another visit from Chica. It was the third of the night and it hadn’t even passed 1am yet.

 

It was going to be a long night.

 

Remus was still sat at the desk, amber eyes fixed intently on the cameras. No matter what he said, the dog animagus couldn’t get another word out of the man. Whatever he had seen earlier, it must have spooked him greatly.

 

Sirius rolled his eyes but remained silent. As much as he wanted to pester Remus until he told him what he saw, he knew they had to be vigilant. The animatronics were working double time tonight. Speaking of, Sirius sprung across the room when he saw a shape appear at the West Hall door.

 

If he had stopped to analyse the situation before acting, he might have found it odd that the figure appeared to resemble Foxy. He might have also found it strange that they never heard the usual pounding of metal feet hitting the floor as Foxy sprinted to their location. It may have also come off as peculiar that Foxy didn’t jump into the room straight away. However, he took no notice of these things at all.

 

Sirius reached for the door button but never made it. A loud screech resounded around the tiny room as Foxy lunged at him with a gaping jaw full of rusted, but no less deadly, teeth.

 

He heard Remus vault over the chair behind him with an alarmed shout but Sirius paid him no mind. He could only think that this was it. How could he have let his mind wander like that? He wasn’t paying enough attention and now, he was about to die. Would Lily and James be waiting for him? Would they berate him for not looking out for Harry? Would they never want to see him again? _Well, I guess I’ll find out._

 

Sirius shut his eyes and waited for the inevitable. However, a few seconds passed and nothing happened. Opening his eyes, Sirius couldn’t believe what he saw. Or, more rather, what he didn’t see.

 

Foxy was gone.

 

Turning to Remus, Sirius noticed that the werewolf was watching him with a look of pure astonishment on his face. “What happened Moony? Where’d Foxy go?” Sirius demanded. He couldn’t believe that the animatronics would just back down. Not when they had him.

 

Remus shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. He eyeballed Sirius with intense eyes. “I…..don’t think that was Foxy.”

 

Sirius blinked, sure he had misheard. “Huh?”

 

Remus turned back to the desk, scanning for any unusual sights on the camera feeds. “It looked like Foxy……It WAS Foxy. But, it wasn’t.”

 

Sirius groaned in frustration. “Spit it out Moony! What’s going on?”

 

“The animatronic didn’t show up on the cameras. He didn’t make a sound when he approached. Didn’t leave a mark on you despite jumping straight at you. It then disappeared out of thin air. It was just gone like that.” Sirius gaped, wanting to ask something but his friend beat him to it. “It had no scent and what’s stranger? It looked burnt and was slightly transparent. I think it was a spirit. Or perhaps, a hallucination?” Remus hit the East Hall door button, stopping a disgruntled Freddy in his tracks.

 

Sirius looked back out the door in shock. _A spirit animatronic?_ Where they going to have to deal with those things now too? At least it seems they weren’t meant to hurt them, only throw them off focus.

 

He went to turn around when a flash of movement from up the hall caught his eye. Squinting to see through the gloom, Sirius just caught sight of a rabbit like shape disappearing around the corner. Sirius grinned despite himself, recognising the ragged shape for what it was.

 

_Nice try Springtrap but this round goes to me!_

 

…………………………………………………………

 

It had just gone 3am and Remus was, though he would never admit it, at his wits end. This night had been truly horrific and it was only halfway through. They had seen more of the ghostly animatronics over the last two hours; another fox, Chica and a freaky looking, child-like one. What was worse? They seemed to temporarily disable the cameras sometimes when they appeared. Remus was sure part of his plan to deal with Afton, as he was certain now their original guess had been correct and Springtrap really was the murderer, would work on these ghostly figures too. However, he didn’t want to give anything away yet. Springtrap had made several appearances tonight, usually going undetected until he reached the office by hiding in the shadows, and Remus knew he was trying to figure out their plan. They’d just have to deal with their spectral visitors for now.

 

Speaking of spectres; Harry, Scott and several other unnamed night guards had made their presence known tonight as well. Both guards had seen the figures on the cameras just as often as they had seen the bots. What was unsettling was the less then friendly looks they’d shoot the cameras and the fact they always seemed to be wandering towards the office as well. The pattern was too close to that of the animatronics and Remus was uneasily reminded that spirits could interact with the living world as well. Tonight had been an unusual night indeed. They had gone from having one type of enemy to deal with to potentially three.

 

Checking the power gauge, Remus’ night went from bad to worse. 23% and it was only 3:10am. Cursing, Remus cycled through the cameras one last time and was about to put down the tablet for now when an odd sight caught his attention.

 

CAM 2B, one that they never really looked at. Remus may have checked it a few times but Bonnie rarely stayed in the room longer then a minute. However, he had memorised the area just as he had done with every other room. What really captured his attention right now was the poster. Normally the poster was of Freddy. Nothing out of the ordinary. However, right now the poster was of a close up version of what appeared to be a golden bear animatronic, not unlike Freddy in appearance. As he surveyed the image, he could have sworn he heard a little girl laughing.

 

Frowning, Remus lowered the tablet, intending to ask Sirius if he had seen it before when a sharp intake of breath stole his attention. Looking up, Remus saw what had startled Sirius and the only thing that he could think was ‘shit!’

 

On the opposite side of the room was the slouched over form of a gold-furred Freddy Fazbear. Staring at it, Remus could hear an almost demonic voice whispering in an unintelligible mutter and saw the odd flashes of indistinguishable images before his eyes.

 

“What the hell? How’d that thing get in? What do we do?” Sirius hissed, not wanting to startle the creature by speaking too loudly.

 

Remus had no answer. He was almost certain this was the same animatronic from the poster. He quickly pulled up the tablet, wanting to check if that was the case. No sooner had he done so, he heard Sirius gasp again. “It’s gone!”

 

Dropping the device again, Remus scanned the room but sure enough, the mysterious figure had disappeared and so had the strange visions and noises.

 

They both stood frozen for half a minute before exchanging a bemused look. “This place just gets weirder and weirder as the week goes by.”

 

Remus couldn’t argue more with that.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

4am and Sirius had to admit defeat. The power had dropped to a measly 2%. How anyone could get past this day, Sirius had no idea. According to Harry’s previous phone calls though it didn’t seem like many made it to this point anyway.

 

‘Golden Freddy’, as they were calling the newest nuisance, had made one more appearance. Harry had, much to mixed feelings from them both, made it all the way to the West Hall door before quickly flickering away when Foxy charged at them. Springtrap had given his own few attempts to get in. However, he didn’t seem to stick to any clear pattern like the others. He hid away in the most shadowy parts of the rooms and they would swear on their lives that he was actually talking with the spirits they saw wondering the halls. It was stressful, it was terrifying but mostly, it was maddening. There was too much chaos going on in order to even attempting going after Springtrap.

 

_Perhaps that’s been his intention all night? Keep us busy so we can’t hunt him down?_

 

Remus was at the West Hall door now. They could hear Freddy’s twisted laughter from not far off and knew the brown bear was close. _Sounds like he knows its over too_ , Sirius mused bitterly as the chuckles continued. The two friends nodded simultaneously and the former professor pushed the button. The door dropped on Freddy just as he made it to the office.

 

They waited and sure enough, just a minute later the power cut out. This time though, they didn’t wait for any of the robots to come to them. No sooner had the lights cut out, Remus was snatching up the book he had brought and reaching for his wand. “Ready to end this Sirius?”

 

Sirius snorted. “I’ve been ready since day one. You still haven’t told me what we are doing though.”

 

Remus shook his head, only just visible to Sirius and the dark. “You aren’t doing anything. I’ll deal with Springtrap. Once he is gone, I have a feeling the rest will sort itself out. All I need you to do is watch my back and keep the rest of the spirits away.”

 

Sirius was more then a little confused by that. Why didn’t Moony just tell him the spell? Surely they’d stand a better chance if they both knew what to do? Nonetheless, they had no time for arguments now.

 

Sirius dipped his head solemnly. “I got your back. Let’s do this.”

 

…………………………………………………………

 

They made their escape from The Office by ducking down the West Hall. Luckily, neither Bonnie nor Foxy was lurking in the hall and they got to the Dinning Area with no problems.

 

Checking the room, the only other person here seemed to be one of the spirits. The person; an unnamed female night guard with long, chocolate brown hair and dark blue eyes, was watching them from the back of the stage. Remus watched her warily for a few moments but when she made no attempt to move toward them, he focused his attention on Sirius.

 

“Okay, so here’s the plan. We find Springtrap. When we do I need you to distract him for me….” Remus trailed off as he pulled a vial of green liquid out of his pocket. “I’ll need to find something suitable to use as….”

 

Sirius eyed the potion inquisitively but reframed from saying anything yet. He knew he’d find out what it was for soon enough. He sincerely hoped they didn’t have to get Springtrap to drink that though. He could foresee some problems occurring if that was the case.

 

He waited for Remus to finish talking but before that could happen something slammed into Remus from the back. The werewolf cried out in shock as he was sent sprawling to the ground, only just managing to keep hold of the potion. However, his wand was not so lucky and the cypress-wood stick went rolling under one of the nearby dinning tables.

 

Sirius reached for his own dogwood wand and faced the unknown attacker. Much to his disbelief it was the female night guard. Up until this point they hadn’t seen any of the spirits interact with the living before. In fact, they had barely heard them talk either. For one of them to so bluntly attack was nothing short of bewildering.

 

He could now see the woman more clearly and he immediately felt sick to his stomach. Her brown hair, once probably silky and beautiful, was dull, matted and streaked crimson with blood. Her uniform was in tatters and her chest seemed to have literally been torn open. Her right leg was bent at an impossible angle and being dragged along the floor behind her. Her left arm was completely missing. The sight, along with her dead eyes, reminded Sirius of a zombie really. Lifeless and completely driven by one instinct alone.

 

They stared at each other for a few seconds before the spirit vanished. Sirius flinched, spinning in a circle to try and locate her. Meanwhile, Remus had pulled himself back to his feet. “Forget it Sirius, I don’t think she will come back.”

 

Sirius looked confused. “Why not?”

 

“They don’t have a lot of strength in order to be able to interact with the world around them for long. The spirits aren’t going to waste their energy on attacking unless they are positive they can get a hit in…..” He trailed off, rubbing his back with a grimace. “We need to move. It would appear that the spirits are not on our side after all. We should find Springtrap before….”

 

“H-H-Hi-Hi there ki-kids!”

 

They both jumped as they spun around and came face to face with Bonnie.

 

“…..before the other animatronics show up.”

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Remus cursed as he sprinted down the East Hall. He had lost sight of Sirius three minutes ago and could only hope he had managed to loose Chica. They had been racing around this place for the last half an hour and still there had been no sight of Springtrap anywhere. Oddly enough, Harry too was absent from the picture. Everyone else though? Yeah, they were out in full force. Right now, Scott and Foxy were hot on his tail.

 

“Woah, the-there m-matey! No run-run-running in the halls!” Foxy called in a stereotypical pirate voice. Remus had never heard the animatronics talk before tonight. He half-heartedly pondered the possible reason why but didn’t dwell on it for long. Entering the office, he dived under the desk and watched as Foxy sprinted right past and out into the West Hall.

 

Remus actually laughed as he watched Foxy’s tail disappear around the corner. He hadn’t thought that would work but he’d had little choice. They were too close. If he kept running he’d have been caught for sure. The marauder’s sigh of relief was cut short though when a pair of ghostly legs stopped right next to the desk.

 

Peaking out, Remus’ amber eyes met a pair of light blue orbs. He could have cursed at his own foolish mistake. _I forgot about Cawthon!_

 

The two men locked eyes for a full minute with Remus not daring to move. He watched the other male and the more he did, the more he felt that he had seen this odd behaviour before. Then, as if someone had turned on the metaphorical light, it occurred to him. The blank stare, sluggish movements. It was like seeing someone under the control of the imperious curse. He was almost certain that he could see some kind of recognition on Scott’s face too, as if he were fighting the control. He waited with baited breath to see what would happen next.

 

Unfortunately in his case though, the momentary self-awareness left Scott’s face as quickly as it had come. Remus had little time to react before he was grabbed by the shirt and yanked out from his pseudo-cover. He yelped as he was tossed into the wall. A brief flash and Scott was right in front of him, reaching out a mangled hand for the potion.

 

Remus rolled to the side and staggered to his feet, cursing the fact Bonnie’s arrival had left him no time to retrieve his wand. He sidestepped a punch sent his way and bolted back into the East Hall. He raced past a startled spirit and nearly ran right into a panting Sirius Black in dog form.

 

Before he could speak, the canine dropped a familiar piece of wood into his hands. “My wand! Thanks Padfoot.”

 

Sirius shifted back and nodded. “Your welcome.”

 

Remus took note of Sirius torn shirt and bleeding arm. He looked exhausted and the werewolf doubted he looked much better. Still, they had no time to worry about it now. They still had roughly an hour and a half left of the night and they needed to find out where Springtrap had been hiding. “You seen Springtrap?”

 

“Heaps of, surprisingly violent, spirits? Yes. Seriously though, one threw a freaking chair at me! Anyway, Freddy? Yes. Bonnie? Yes. Chica? Quite a lot. I’m all for ladies chasing after me and all but this isn’t what I had in mind. Springtrap though. I haven’t seen him since the power went out.” Sirius rattled off, counting on his fingers as he went.

 

Remus gave him an exasperated look but decided to otherwise ignore his inappropriate attempt at humour. Because really? Now was not the time for jokes!

 

“I tried looking while the furries where chasing me but I have no idea where he went. I would have thought he’d want to be part of all the action.” Sirius continued.

 

Remus stroked a hand though his greying hair thoughtfully until a soft sound got his attention. Looking down, he spotted a blue ball with a picture of Bonnie on it come to a stop at his feet. Both wizards turned to see where the object came from and spotted the one other person who had seemingly vanished with the power standing in the backstage doorway. He was barely visible with such little light in the building but they had no doubt who it was. The sense of deja vu was intense.

 

Harry looked from one of them to another before dashing back into the backstage area.

 

Sirius, ever the impulsive one, took off after the retreating figure. Remus watched him run, unsure of what to make of the situation. He briefly thought back to the office and how, even if only for a moment, Scott had fought back against whatever control this place held over the spirits.

 

Was it possible Harry had done the same?

 

Remus went to follow them but heard the familiar sound of an animatronic entering the Dinning Area, followed by a robotic female voice.

 

“T-T-Time to p-p-p-party kids!”

 

Remus groaned, sparing the backstage area one final look and hoping Sirius could handle things himself for now, before running away with Chica right behind him.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Sirius barely took note of the backstage area and all the horror and suffering that seemed to suffocate the atmosphere here. He moved into the back half of the room, skidding to a halt at the sight of the stairs and the hidden room before him. He knew he’d never be able to forget what he had seen there and he really wanted nothing to do with either room ever again.

 

Luckily for him, Harry made no move to continue on either. He stopped right between the room and steps, turning to face Sirius. Unlike the mystery woman and Scott, Harry didn’t stop to observe him. Nor did he choose to remain quite either. He shuffled forward slowly, eyeing Sirius with disdain the entire time.

 

“It’s all your fault Sirius.”

 

The ex-fugitive reared back as if he had been backhanded. Choking on the suddenly seemingly-thin air, Sirius croaked “Wh-What?”

 

Harry paused his slow shamble forward, tilting his head much like a curious puppy. The action only served to make Sirius feel sick though as the usually-innocent gesture was tarnished by the pair of green eyes, burning with hatred and vengeance, that bore into his very soul. “The Dursley’s, this place, my parents. _It’s all your fault._ You know it is.”

 

Sirius whined, shakily moving back a few paces. “No, Harry I…”

 

“You _what_ Sirius? You _apologise_? Too little, too late _Padfoot!_ ” Harry’s voice steadily rose in volume as he finally paused in his approach. He grinned at his shaking godfather but nothing about the smile was friendly. “My parents are _dead_ because _you_ were a fool! _You_ told them to make Pettigrew the secret keeper! _You_ didn’t get there in time to save them! _You_ should have died that night! Instead, _they_ did! I’m an _orphan_ because of you Padfoot.”

 

Sirius had dropped to his knees now, tears slowly trekking down his face. Of course Harry blamed him. It was his fault. All his fault. He knew it was. Remus had been wrong. Of course he was to blame. It was his fault. _My fault! My fault! My fault!_

 

Harry didn’t let up though. “What’s worse, my parents deaths were obviously not enough for you. You _abandoned_ me when I needed my godfather most! I had to grow up with my _hateful_ , _neglectful_ relatives because you couldn’t act responsible for once in your life! Look how that ended Padfoot! _Look at me!_ I’m dead!”

 

Sirius curled up tighter into a ball; body-racking sobs pouring out of his throat and face drenched in tears. The venomous words piercing his heart hurt worse then twelve years in Azkaban. Hurt worse even then finding out Lily and James were dead, that Harry was dead. He supposed what they said was true. The truth hurts. Ignorance truly is bliss.

 

Harry didn’t seem satisfied with the display of guilt and grief though. Sirius felt a hand harshly grab his hair and tug his head up against his will. Harry’s face, twisted by rage, was only a few centimetres from his own. “NO! Look at me Padfoot!” Sirius flinched, trying to turn away but Harry tugged his hair fiercely, once again forcing him to meet the hate-filled, emerald eyes. “LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME! LOOK AT ME!”

 

Sirius did and felt his shoulders slump in defeat. He surveyed Harry’s appearance, taking in the torn flesh, blood-stained clothes and broken bones with self-loathing and anguish. “You’re right Harry. I failed you. I failed Lily. I failed James. I’m sorry! I-I’m…” He closed his and released a shaky sob, whispering. “ _I’m sorry pup._ I love you and I’m so, so sorry. It should have been me.”

 

Harry let go of his hair and for a moment all was quiet. Sirius wondered if Harry had left. Then, he heard Harry speak. This time his voice wasn’t filled with an infuriated bite nor was it loud and demanding. This time it was cold. Colder then ice, colder then even the dementors.

 

“You’re right. It should have been.”

 

Before he could react; hands wrapped around his neck in a vice-like grip. Sirius gasped, instinctively trying to pry the fingers away from his throat. However, the grip was too strong. He looked up to see that the raw emotion that had been evident on Harry’s face during their conversation had gone, leaving behind a blank, emotionless shell instead. It was more frightening then Harry screaming his face had been. He choked, unable to breath around the icy hands and felt his vision starting to blur.

 

Harry met his pleading gaze and grinned, eyes flashing black with only a tiny pin-prick of white in each eye. “Tell mum and dad I said hi! Well, if they even want to see you that is. Goodbye mutt.”

 

Harry’s hands tightened and he felt his vision tunnel before everything started to go black.

 

That is, until it all went a blinding white.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

“EXPECTO PATRONUM!” Remus bellowed the moment he managed to make it backstage and see what was happening.

 

He’d managed to ditch Chica, Freddy and a night guard in the kitchen and had ran back as fast as he could. He could hear the shouting from the other side of the building. Although he hadn’t been able to make out what was being said, he could tell one thing. He knew the person bellowing was Harry.

 

He had no idea what was happening with Sirius and Harry. However, when he did reach the backstage, he had not been expecting what he saw. Sirius was kneeled on the floor with Harry standing over him; hands strangling the now barely conscious animagus. Remus arrived just in time to see Harry smirk, eyes changing to the same demonic look he had seen on the animatronics, before he whispered as calming as ever, “Tell mum and dad I said hi! Well, if they even want to see you that is. Goodbye mutt.”

 

Remus didn’t hesitate a second longer. He called forth his wolf patronus, hoping desperately that his idea would work. The canine leapt forward, charging full pelt at Harry. The teenaged spirit seemed stunned, unable to believe what was happening. Next thing Remus knew, the wolf patronus had slammed into Harry who screamed so loud the werewolf had to cover his sensitive ears. There was a flash of light and Harry was gone. So was the patronus.

 

Remus sighed, relieved his plan had worked, and he rushed to Sirius’ side. The other male was slumped on the floor; black, hand-shaped bruises already starting to form on his neck. Moony dropped to his knees and rolled Sirius onto his side. “Padfoot! Padfoot, are you okay?”

 

Sirius didn’t answer. Instead he heaved in as much air as he possibly could as the colour slowly returned to his face. He finally looked up, eyes wide in horror. “H-H-Harry! W-Wha…?”

 

Remus shook his head. “He’s gone Sirius. For now anyway.”

 

“B-But, that s-scream!” Sirius croaked frantically, despite the pain talking obviously caused.

 

Remus winced. He too felt horrible about that and extremely worried. That scream had cut him to the bone; his wolf side howling at him to help their cub. However, there was nothing he could do. He had to save Sirius. All he could do now was hope Harry was okay.

 

“I know Padfoot. I’m sure he’s fine though. Right now, we need to move in case Harry comes back or someone else comes to investigate.”

 

Sirius hesitated before nodding, accepting Remus’ offered hand and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. The dog animagus wouldn’t meet his eyes and Remus desperately wanted to ask him exactly what had happened. There’d be time for that later though.

 

They went to leave when a brick soared past them, barely missing Sirius, and smashed against the wall. The wizards swung around. In the doorway of the previously-sealed room stood the current bane of their existence.

 

Springtrap.

 

The old, ragged bot clutched another brick in his withered hand, preparing to pelt them with another projectile. Remus just managed to drag himself and the still, slightly disorientated Sirius, to the floor. The brick smashed hole in the wall behind them, showering them in dust.

 

Remus coughed, leaving Sirius where he was and got back up. Springtrap had moved forward, eyes staring almost mockingly at him. “Thank you for freeing me. It was rather dull in that room. Out here, well, this is where the _fun_ is.” Springtrap laughed. The rasping sound was horrible, setting Moony’s teeth on edge.

 

Remus growled under his breath, eyes flashing. “That wasn’t intended.” Springtrap looked amused. “You’re William Afton, aren’t you? You murdered those kids.”

 

Springtrap, or Afton, laughed. “I am and I did! Oh, it was wonderful! The fear, the screams, the _blood!_ It was heavenly! I can’t wait to do it again.”

 

Remus’ grip on his wand tightened. “Why? Why murder a bunch of children? They’re innocent!”

 

The rabbit tilted his head. “Are they? All I see are a bunch of selfish, screeching brats. I hate children. Always have. Just to have the chance to get rid of the little shits, well. How could I refuse?”

 

Sirius had finally come out of his shock and now stood shoulder to shoulder with his best friend. “You’re a monster.”

 

Afton shrugged. “Maybe.”

 

Sirius stepped forward. “You’re the one behind all of this. The children trapped in the animatronics. The dead night guards. All of it.”

 

This time Springtrap’s laughter seemed more amused, more genuine then before. It was no less chilling though. “You think I did all of this? No, but oh I wish I had. The children chose to cling to the robots. They sought revenge themselves. And they got it, not that it seems enough for them.” Springtrap grumbled, sounding furious.

 

“What do you mean?” Remus asked.

 

Springtrap’s one remaining ear twitched in agitation. “They cornered me one night. I was the night guard there and they weren’t…..happy with what I had done to them. They chased me around the place until I stumbled across the Spring Bonnie suit. I thought I could hide in it. Trick them.” Springtrap began to pace as he spoke, gesturing wilding as he went. “They stood at the front of the room, staring at me. Then they smiled. I didn’t understand at first but then…then the spring locks released.”

 

Remus glanced at Sirius as they listened to the story. They looked back at the murderer to see him shudder at the memory. “The pain…..it was blinding, all-consuming. But then, then I saw potential in what I had become! I could be unstoppable.” He paused, lost in awe before continuing with the tale. “The children remained. They knew I wasn’t gone and they wanted me to suffer. Trouble is, their puny little brains couldn’t comprehend the fact I was stuck back in the safe room. They saw a night guard and instantly thought it was me! It was hilarious really. I just, _added a little fuel to the fire._ ” He waved his hand and black smoke seeped from the appendage. The two wizards could easily guess what it was. Demonic energy. “Sure, the staff may have locked me away in that room but I could still have some fun. I could make the children do my bidding. Through them, I was free.”

 

Remus watched the mad man rant in disgust. How anyone could be so happy talking about something so horribly sad was beyond him. Then again, that was psychopaths for you. No one else’s feelings were important.

 

“Then, the souls of the dead guards started popping up. At first I let them leave. I didn’t want any adults ruining the fun. But then, I figured they may be of some use one day, especially since I could control them too. I trapped them there. Most of them just wondered about in misery. Some tried to talk to people, get help. Of course, I’m sure you can guess how that went. Humans aren’t so fond of ghosts.”

 

Remus nodded absent-mindedly, reaching for his wand and the potion vial. Scanning the area for something of use, he spotted what he was looking for, sticking out of the boxes in the room behind Springtrap. All he needed now was a good shot and it could all be over.

 

“I left the spirits be at first. I only intended to use them if things got complicated. I…”

 

“That’s all well and good,” Sirius cut in sarcastically, “but I fail to see how this isn’t all your fault then.”

 

Springtrap glared, annoyed at being interrupted. “I was getting there mutt.”

 

Sirius flinched, remembering the same insult being thrown at him by Harry only minutes ago.

 

“It was all going well until the old location was closed down. They moved everything here. The spirits remained, trapped in the place they died, probably are still there actually, but the kids? They came here too, still stuck to the animatronics. They had me locked away back here. I wasn’t pleased but I thought I’d still have full reign over the kids. I was wrong.”

 

He turned and gestured to the room he’d been locked in. “This room? It was warded. The first manager of this new location was a witch. She could sense what I was. She warded this room so I couldn’t do any more damage to anyone. I was isolated, alone for years. Until someone set me free. Well, partially free anyway. I could sense the things around me. I knew the kids hadn’t given up on their murder spree. So many new spirits were trapped here. I couldn’t see what was going on though. Couldn’t control anything. But I could project. I could spread the dark energy I posses, further tainting things. I had hoped whoever had started to release me may finish the job but they didn’t. They only wanted to use my power for their own means. Well, I wasn’t going to have it. I kept plotting, trying to think of a way to break free.”

 

Springtrap paused and faced them, mouth stretching into a hideous grin. “In the end, I didn’t have to. You’ve done it for me! So, thank you! Now I can continue with my fun. Starting off with finding this person who dared try to use me! But first….” Without any warning, the rabbit animatronic charged.

 

Sirius yelled as the punch caught him off guard, sending him flying into the wall. Remus cursed, rolling to the side as the ‘purple guy’ turned on him next. He missed his chance. Now he’d have to find another in order to catch Afton.

 

He watched as Sirius dazedly got back up. Catching his eye, Sirius nodded and shouted. “Hey Afton, no wander you get others to do your dirty work. That hit was pathetic! My cousin could hit harder then that when she was three!”

 

Remus sighed in relief, glad Sirius remembered the plan. It worked too, Springtrap snarled before diving at Sirius again. Remus watched as the two fought. Sirius dodging and ducking while Springtrap tried to punch him.

 

Remus readied his wand, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Sirius and Springtrap moved about the room. Remus winced as Sirius at one point nearly fell down the steps. Finally Springtrap stopped outside the safe room. Grinning, Remus raised his wand. “EXPECT….”

 

Remus heard Sirius shout in surprise as a cold, metal hand latched onto Remus’ arm from behind. Crying out in pain as his wrist was tugged back, the werewolf dropped his wand and fell back into Freddy’s chest. Glancing up, the bear animatronic stared down at him with blacked out eyes.

 

Springtrap laughed, grabbing Sirius and keeping a firm hold on the dog animagus as he spoke to them both. “Did you really think I was stupid enough to not know what you were up to? I saw the little trick you pulled on your precious godson. I knew you’d try the same thing. And that potion? I saw you with it earlier.”

 

Remus swore, hearing Sirius do the same thing. He’d been afraid that would happen. The element of surprise was going to be their best bet of ending this. Now, they had lost that.

 

Springtrap clicked his fingers and Remus felt Freddy start to drag him back into the first room of the backstage. “I just got freed! I will not go back to being trapped again! I was going to kill you myself but I’m not a selfish person you know. I’ll let the others have some fun with you first. This one”, he continued, shaking Sirius roughly, “is mine.”

 

Wiggling around in Freddy’s grasp, Remus managed to catch sight of the other animatronics, including Golden Freddy, gathered there. He could see the spare animatronic suit and began to panic.

 

Suddenly, a chill swept through the room and a voice whispered in his ear. “Save them…”

 

Before Remus could reply, a child appeared in front of Sirius and Springtrap. He lunged at the much larger creature and slammed a fist, glowing with a bright white energy, into Springtrap’s face. “You’re gonna pay for what you did to my friends, purple guy!” he shouted, young face scrunched into an uncharacteristic expression of fury; one that did not belong on the face of a child.

 

The distraction lasted only moments but was enough for Sirius and Remus to break free. Sirius ran for his wand and glared at Springtrap. “This is for my godson, you fucker! Burn in hell! EXPECTO PATRONUM!”

 

Much to both wizards’ surprise, a large dog made of a wispy white energy charged forth. It skidded slightly, trying to determine the greatest threat to its master, before settling its sight on Springtrap.

 

Remus wasted no time in grabbing his own wand and the vial. Flicking it open, he ran across the room, snatched the object from the box and poured the potion over it. The item glowed green for a second before returning to its usual, dull colour. He let it fall to the floor before turning around when he heard the pained scream.

 

There he saw the Spring Bonnie suit crumple lifelessly to the floor and standing before them was the soul of William Afton. He was dressed in a slightly older version of the Freddy Fazbear night guard uniform. He was tall with slick black hair, cold brown eyes and a slight goatee. Afton shouted in fury and sprang at him, dark energy pulsating from his hands.

 

Remus stood his ground, determined to end this now. He shouted the spell he found in the book and Afton screeched as his soul was dragged into the old Spring Bonnie plush toy sitting at the sandy-haired male’s feet. With a loud crack and an explosion of green light; the Spring Bonnie plush fell to its side.

 

A deafening silence filled the room. Sirius and Remus, the child spirit and the animatronics all stared at the toy, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. Finally, Remus picked up the plush and turned to Sirius. “You cast a patronus. I didn’t think….”

 

Sirius cut him of with a wiry grin. “Didn’t think I could produce a patronus after everything that happened to me? Well, you’re right. I didn’t think I could. Hell, I knew I couldn’t. But then, when I thought we were going to die, I thought about everyone we already lost. James, Lily, Harry and all the people who were killed here and….and I just couldn’t let that happen. I thought about the last time we saw them. Two nights before that Halloween. Harry was flying around the living room on that toy broom I bought him. He was laughing, smiling infectiously like he always did. Lily was scolding James about letting Harry use that ‘death trap’ while James tried to look guilty. It was just an ordinary day back then but now? Now that moment means more to me than anything. Suddenly, a patronus didn’t seen so farfetched after all.”

 

Remus smiled, teary-eyed as he thought about that memory. It had been, as Sirius put it, nothing out of the ordinary but then again, that’s what made it so special.

 

Sirius glanced to his left, where the boy had been but found he was nowhere in sight. “Do you think it worked? Do you think the kids are free? And the others trapped here?”

 

Remus shrugged, not sure himself. “I hope so.”

 

Sirius eyed the old plush toy with scrutiny. “Is that thing safe? Won’t Afton just be able to move around inside that like he did in this scrap pile?” he asked, kicking the lifeless animatronic.

 

Remus shook his head. “No, he can’t. The spell trapped his soul inside the doll completely. He cannot do anything as long as it is not destroyed. I figured we could hand it over to the Unspeakables. They might know of a way to get rid of him for good.”

 

Sirius hummed in agreement, glancing at the still frozen animatronics. “Well, it looks like it worked. Little dude with the killer right hook is gone and Freddy and the gang haven’t tried to rip us limb from limb. We did it!”

 

Remus ignored Sirius as he began to dance around the room. Something still felt off. He just couldn’t place it. “Come on Sirius. We better go.”

 

Just as he said it Freddy turned and began to march back to the stage. The rest of the bots followed him out. “See?” Sirius grinned. “They’re going back to the stage like they should! Afton’s gone, the kids are free and the spirits can finally move on!”

 

Remus looked at Sirius as he spoke, absently closing the door to the backstage behind them. The dog animagus seemed cheery, ecstatic even, but Remus got the feeling it was mostly for show. Remus thought back to what happened with Harry as he caught sight of the bruises on Sirius’ neck. He was about to mention it when something kicked his legs out from underneath him. Accidently taking Sirius out with him as he fell, he looked up in shock to see Harry standing a few feet away. Next to him where Scott, the female guard from before, and a few other spirits.

 

Sirius yelped, getting Remus’ attention. He looked over his shoulder to see Freddy and the bots all facing them from the stage. Looking down the hall, he could see Foxy and Golden Freddy peak at them too.

 

“I don’t understand! We beat Afton! Why are they still here?” Sirius shouted as the spirits began to close in.

 

The sound of keys unlocking the front door broke the tension. In the blink of an eye the spirits were gone, Freddy and the crew were back in their normal places and Sirius and Remus were scrambling to their feet.

 

Nodding a vague greeting to the day guard, they quickly ran to the office to grab their things. Once outside, they stood in the parking lot facing the building. “I just don’t get it.” Sirius muttered.

 

Remus stared at the plush toy before he thought over everything Afton had said. Suddenly it all made sense.

 

_How could I forget that?_

 

Then again, they had been so focused on stopping Springtrap. It made sense.

 

Remus turned to Sirius in a rush “Davis!”

 

Normally Sirius would ask ‘what?’ and Remus would go into a long explanation of what was going on. This time though, all it took was the one word. “Of course!”

 

“We stopped Springtrap but he wasn’t the only thing trapping people here. Davis is still at large.” Remus cried.

 

Sirius groaned. “So, what now?”

 

Remus went to answer when a _hoot_ dragged their eyes to the sky. Soaring down towards them was a familiar screech owl. “Kingsley!”

 

Remus caught the small package as the owl dropped it. Without a second glance, the great bird turned tail and soared away once more. “Yep, that’s definitely Shacklebolt’s owl. Quick, efficient and all business.” Sirius mused.

 

Remus tore open the package and glanced inside. Suddenly, another though came to mind. Reaching into his bag he pulled out the tape they had found backstage.

 

Remus stared at the letter, Auror report and news clippings from Kingsley in one hand and the tape recording in the other. The final pieces of the puzzle. This would be it. He was certain of that.

 

He looked at Sirius. “I’ll tell you what we do Padfoot. We go home, get some rest and then look over what we have. We know about the stuff backstage. And this? These things might just hold the last nails in Davis’ proverbial coffin. Tonight, Davis is going down. One way or another.”

 

With that they left to get ready for tonight.

 

They would, at last, find out the truth behind Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, what do you think?
> 
> Just a few notes,
> 
> The ‘ghost animatronics’ are the phantoms from FNAF 3. I thought I’d just throw them in because why not? I figured that Springtrap created these hallucinations to try and throw Sirius and Remus off their game.
> 
> I’m guessing you might have figured out who the kid that sucker punched Springtrap was. If not, you’ll find out the next chapter. 
> 
> If you wanted to know, I pictured Bonnie sounding a lot like Slappy from the video game Dead Rising 2. I don’t know why but I just did. 
> 
> Anyway, if you have any questions let me know. However, all should be revealed in the next chapter :)
> 
> See you guys then!


	16. Chapter 15 - Game Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, a new chapter already! I have literally been up to 4am two nights in a row getting this done for you guys as soon as possible so I really hope this lives up to your expectations :) This should answer all the questions you may have had. If not, then let me know and I’ll get back to you.

** Chapter 15 – Game Over **

 

23rd-24th July – Sirius and Remus

 

Sirius smiled smugly as he scanned the Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Dining Area. Tonight would be his and Remus’ last night here so everything had to be perfect.

 

They’d arrived an hour early to set things up. So far the place had been quiet with not another soul in sight. Normally this would be very unsettling but today Sirius couldn’t care less. He was just grateful for the chance to get everything done without any unnecessary interruptions. If things went their way, after tonight no more spirits would ever haunt the halls of this building ever again.

 

He saw Remus wonder in from down the West Hall. In his hands were a now very familiar stack of reports, newspapers, books and missing persons files. On top he could see the tape recording and Kingsley’s own additions to the case they had against Davis as well as the Spring Bonnie plush. “Is everything ready?” Remus asked.

 

Sirius nodded. “Yep, its all set. Now we just need the guest of honour.”

 

They could hear a car pull up outside the building before the sound of a door being slammed shut rang throughout the crisp night air. “That sounds like him.” Remus smirked.

 

Sirius beamed, suddenly looking very much like an overgrown puppy. “About time!” The animagus turned to stare at the three animatronics on stage for a second before cheerfully declaring. “Places everyone, its show time!”

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Remus shifted restlessly in his seat at the dining table as he watched Bruce Davis shuffle over. He could feel Moony in the back of his mind; snarling and growling as the person responsible for his cub’s death continued to walk freely. Remus sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm the wolf. He could see clearly in his mind exactly what Moony wished to do to the despicable man before him and while he had no doubts Davis deserved it, he would not be able to focus with the constant bombardment from the werewolf. _Not long now Moony. Seattle down. He’ll pay for what he has done._ Moony growled in response, not too pleased about the more….. _legal_ approach they were taking to fix the problem but the wolf retreated nonetheless.

 

“What is this about gentlemen? I’m very busy. Lot’s of paperwork to be filled out.” Davis ranted, beady brown eyes shooting back and forth between the two night guards. The former defence professor got the distinct feeling that this wasn’t the first time an employee had asked to meet him about the _working conditions_ here. Davis seemed less then impressed.

 

Sirius, the self proclaimed ‘bad cop’, hadn’t agreed with Remus’ idea to ease into the talk. Remus tried to argue that they might be able to trick him into confessing something if they played it safe. Sirius had other plans. He curled his right hand into a fist on the table and spoke through gritted teeth. “You know damn well why we are here.”

 

If the hostile tone shocked the portly man, he didn’t show it. “No, quite frankly I don’t. Most night guards don’t wait this long too….. _discuss the job requirements._ So, why now boys?” Remus swore the guy was challenging them to say something; if the shark-toothed grin and steely stare down were any indication.

 

Remus huffed, deciding to just roll with Padfoot’s plan for now. “Let’s cut to the chase. We all know about the animatronics. Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, Freddy and the Golden Freddy all wander the halls at night, trying to kill the night guards. What we want to know is why? And why haven’t you done anything about it?”

 

Davis scratched his chin thoughtfully as he sized them up. Remus forced himself to not move. Finally Davis grinned. “So many questions. And yet, I think you already know all the answers; don’t you Mr Lupin?”

 

Sirius growled, “If we alr….?”

 

Davis stood, strolling along down the table as he spoke. “You think I forgot about all the snooping you’ve been doing? I know you were looking for answers. Just like Cawthon had been…..” He halted in front of the stage, watching the motionless creatures on the platform. “Just like your beloved _godson_ had been…”

 

Remus dug his nails into the wooden table in a bid to ground himself. Hearing this…. _thing_ so bluntly talk of Harry was like holding a red flag to a bull. Moony roared in the back of his mind, insisting to break free. Sirius didn’t seem to be fairing much better. However, neither rose to the bait. _I need to stay focused!_ If nothing else, the snide remark did confirm what Kingsley had found. _He has to be a wizard then. Only the wizarding population would know about our relationship with Harry._

 

“Potter wanted answers as well. He was getting close. I know he dug around in my office. I’m sure he did his own research too. Not to mention Cawthon. Merlin knows what that fucker told the brat.”

 

Remus nodded to himself. They already knew all this. They had already guessed that Scott may have left Harry messages just as their cub had done for them. This almost completely confirmed that.

 

“So, I _could_ tell you what I told the boy. I sense though that you both got further then he did. You were looking around backstage. Tell me, what did you find?” Davis had pivoted around to face them once more.

 

Sirius decided to answer. “We found your little black market potions ring. We know what you were doing with the bodies of the killed employees. You were harvesting their organs for potions ingredients.”

 

Davis chuckled. “What can I say? It’s a booming market. At least, it was until Potter ended the war. Half my clientele are now in Azkaban or dead. Still, there is enough demand to keep things rolling.”

 

Remus narrowed his eyes. “So what? All of this was just a business venture?”

 

Davis gave him a classic ‘are you stupid?’ look. “Of course not. Call it a business venture if you will but that was hardly the only purpose for all this. The money form the ingredients, and whatever else of value we could get from the deceased, was merely an added bonus” Davis began to pace as he explained. “My family had been strong supporters of Voldemort for years, well before he gained popularity. However, we were smarter then the other foolish Death Eaters. They say you need to get to know your enemies in order to beat them and that is what we did. My parents spent a lot of time in the muggle world; learning about what the muggles do, how they live. They truly are inferior beasts.” Davis sneered, glaring out the window as a car drove by. “They believe they are superior with their technology and science. They know _nothing_ of true power.”

 

The Death Eater spun around to face them once more. “My mother bought this place from a ‘friend’ for a good price. It was originally just going to serve as a means to further observe the muggles; maybe even catch a few for various means. However, it wasn’t long before Freddy’s bloodstained past came to light.”

 

He strolled over to the table, picking up a cardboard party hat and observing it. “They learnt all about the murders and how the souls remained attached to the animatronics. It was something new, rarely even heard of amongst wizards. They wished to learn more about these spirits. Maybe even discover how to control them. They died before they got the chance. I, however, decided to continue with their work.”

 

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “And Springtrap?”

 

Davis did a double take, for the first time that night actually looking caught off guard. “How do you know about that? The demon was sealed away!”

 

“We found him the other night,” Remus stated, refusing to explain further.

 

Davis’ eye twitched. “You found out more than I expected then. Very well. Yes, we learnt about Springtrap. He was going to be the icing on the cake. If we could discover how to control a being of such power; one that could twist the very souls of the spirits around them, we would be unstoppable.”

 

He huffed, crushing the party hat and dropping it back onto the table. “It was easier said then done. We had to keep him partly sealed away until we could find a way to use him. The other souls? They also proved a challenge. They were either entirely driven by one goal,” he muttered whilst pointing to the band on stage, “Or they just wondered about aimlessly. Magic did nothing to them. The patronus charm worked to temporarily disable those tainted by the demons energy but they always came back.”

 

“So, you never managed to do it then? You couldn’t find a way to control them?” Sirius asked, seeking clarification.

 

Davis scowled. “No.”

 

Remus rubbed his temples as he thought about everything he’d heard. So, Davis wanted a demonic army for the Death Eaters? It was a terrifying thought. If they had succeeded it would have been chaos.

 

Davis shrugged. “Oh well, it still made me very rich. Not to mention the entertainment! Playing back the camera feeds; just seeing the worthless muggles try to escape! Ha! So many good memories!”

 

Sirius leapt to his feet. “You’re fucking disgusting! You’re just as bad as Voldemort! Actually, you’re worse!”

 

Davis bowed mockingly. “Why thank you! I do try.”

 

Remus rose to his feet as well. They had what they wanted. Time to finish this. “Why’d you tell us all this anyway?”

 

Davis smirked, drawing his wand. “It won’t matter anyway. It’s just like I told the boy. You won’t be leaving here tonight. If you wanted to know the truth so bad, I might as well have indulged your final wish.”

 

Sirius’ angry expression quickly morphed into a cocky grin. “Yeah, thanks for that. I do love it when the bad guys just can’t help but rave about their evil schemes. It makes things so much easier. Wouldn’t you agree Kingsley?”

 

Davis froze, a stunning spell dying on his lips. “Wait, what?”

 

Kingsley stepped out from the corner of the room, the invisibility cloak floating to the floor behind him. Sirius smiled cheekily before, much to the horror of Davis, his appearance shifted into that of a witch with a devious smile and bright, bubble-gum pink hair. From the corner of the room, a black dog hidden in the shadows prowled forward, switching back to a man as it went.

 

“I got to hand it to you cousin. You captured my personality perfectly!” Sirius beamed.

 

Tonks rolled her eyes playfully. “Of course I did. I’m a professional after all. Besides, it was fun to play the bad cop.” She added with a hearty chuckle.

 

Davis stuttered in shock. “You-you’re a-a…”

 

Tonks smiled condescendingly. “I’m a metamorphmagus? Yes, I am. I’m also an Auror with the British Ministry of Magic and you, _Edmund Avery_ , are under arrest for several counts of murder in the first degree, terrorism and conducting an illegal business.”

 

Kingsley approached, staring down the bewildered and infuriated dark wizard. “We have more then enough evidence to see you found guilty. Documents, a tape recording of you documenting your ‘research’ into spirits and demons. Not to mention, we captured all of this on film.” The head Auror informed, pointing to the camera on the wall.

 

Davis huffed. “Those cameras can only be replayed on the monitors in my office. You won’t get the password from my computer without a fight.”

 

Kingsley chuckled. “We don’t need to. We replaced the camera with one of our own. We have more then enough sources of information to convict you in our world and to ensure some peace of mind to the muggles who lost loved ones here too. We’ll have to edit some things for the non-magicals but it should be enough to make sure everyone knows what happened here. It’s over Avery. Come quietly and this can all end tonight with no one else getting hurt.”

 

The newly outed Avery readied his wand. “Oh no, I didn’t work this hard to be thwarted by the likes of you. Aurors or not, you’ll all perish here. CALIGO!”

 

Before the four wizards could blink, mist had filled the room. Remus growled. _He won’t get away that easy._ Using his enhanced sight and hearing, the werewolf bolted after the retreating man.

 

Dashing into the hall, he heard the clock strike midnight. _Fuck, I forgot about the time!_ Remus hesitated, hearing a loud thump behind him followed by Sirius’ colourful cursing. _Looks like the kids aren’t going to be of any help then._

 

Hoping that the others had it under control, Remus followed Avery down the West Hall. He knew where the man was going. _You’re not hiding there coward._

 

Sure enough, ‘Davis’ was just trying to enter his office. “STUPEFY!”

 

The Death Eater yowled in surprise as he was sent flying down the hall. The marauder wasted no time in rushing toward him with a series of curses on his tongue.

 

Davis scrambled to his feet and faced him with murderous eyes. “Fine, if you want a fight wolf, you’ve got one. AVADA KEDAVRA!”

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Sirius dived to the side as Freddy threw another punch his way. After the mist had been cleared away by Kingsley, the three remaining wizards had found themselves surrounded by the animatronics. He honestly couldn’t believe their luck. _It was all going so perfectly! We had a confession on tape, Avery in our grasp! How could we let it get so out of hand?_

 

They’d warned the two Aurors beforehand about how dangerous the bots were but it hadn’t seemed important then. They’d take Avery away and hopefully that would be enough to free the trapped souls. Now though, he was glad he’d told his companions about the magic resistant entities. Tonks and Kingsley wasted no time flinging useless spells. Instead they took to dodging the robots attacks whilst attempting to make their way to the West Hall.

 

Sirius skidded past Bonnie and found himself by the backstage door. Glancing in, he just spotted movement in the shadows and quickly jumped away. The animatronics were enough trouble. He had no interest whatsoever in going toe to toe with the angered spirits too.

 

He heard Kingsley shout a patronus charm and spun around to watch. The spell hit its mark and the chicken animatronic froze. Standing next to it was a girl with blonde hair and a fluffy yellow dress. However, she only stood there for a few moments before blinking out of sight and Chica moved once more. _Shit, that was our only solid back-up plan!_

 

Flashes of coloured light and bellowing voices from down the West Hall made Sirius forget about his anguish over the failure of the spell and the ghostly night guards potentially hanging about and focus instead on what was important right now. _Okay, think Padfoot. Get past the Fazbitch Gang and go help Moony._

 

“SIRIUS, WATCH OUT!”

 

Alarmed by his cousin’s warning, the animagus went to leap away from an oncoming attack. He wasn’t quick enough though and Chica’s arm hit him straight in the chest; winding him and sending him barrelling into a table.

 

Groaning and musing to himself that he most definitely cracked a rib at least; Sirius remained in his spot for a few moments whilst he caught his breath. Once he could get a proper breath in, he looked up and felt his heart drop. Kingsley was trapped in Golden Freddy’s grasp, _when did he get here?_ , while Tonks was backed into the corner by Freddy and Bonnie. Foxy was watching them from the Pirate Cove entrance; whether he was preparing to run his usual path or was simply keeping watch until he was needed Sirius had no idea. Chica was standing over him, making no move to catch him yet. The ex-fugitive wasn’t an idiot though. He knew as soon as he tried to get back up he’d be caught.

 

He frantically searched for some way out of this mess; the sounds of the ongoing duel indicating Remus was not an option, when he saw someone hiding next to the stage. Squinting, Sirius was surprised to recognise it was a child. Not just any child though, the one who had saved them the night before. The more he thought about it, the more the little boy looked familiar. Wait a minute…

 

Zack, Zack Wolloway. That was it. He was the kid from the newspaper article.

 

Sirius watched as the child, Zack, stared at him with frightened and tear-filled eyes. He didn’t know what to make of this kid. He was different to the other spirits and yet, one of the oldest ones here. He should have been just like the others; corrupted by the dark energy from Springtrap or having gone crazy himself after being dead for so long. Why did he help them before? Why was he not attacking now?

 

Zack held his gaze for a few seconds before flickering away. Sirius didn’t even have the chance to contemplate the strange encounter before Chica’s cold, metallic hands yanked him off the floor.

 

“Let us go! We’re trying to help you!” Tonks pleaded as Bonnie dragged her over. Golden Freddy brought Kingsley to join them and before the marauder knew it. Freddy Fazbear stood before them.

 

“Y-You b-b-broke the rules. I th-think you k-k-kids need a t-t-time out!” Freddy scolded.

 

Sirius gulped as they once again faced the prospect of being stuffed into suits. Freddy pushed the door to backstage open and stepped inside. Then…

 

_WHACK!_

 

…………………………………………………………

 

“Stupefy!”

 

“Bombarda!”

 

“Expelliarmus!”

 

“Incendio!”

 

Remus panted as the duel went on. He hated to admit it but Avery was good, very good. They were too evenly matched and he knew he was starting to grow tired. _One of many downsides of being a werewolf_ , he recalled forlornly.

 

Avery straightened his back and stared down his opponent with a wicked grin. “Well, this has been fun but I’m through playing games. I…Oh, would you look at that? How exciting!” He laughed, cutting himself off as something behind Remus’ back caught his eye.

 

The former professor hesitated. He might not be an Auror but he knew better then to ever turn your back on the enemy. Still, the dark wizard seemed completely captivated by whatever was going on. Now that he thought about it, things had gone very quiet back there….

 

Peaking over his shoulder, he was horrified to find Sirius, Tonks and Kingsley in the grasp of the massive mechanical beasts.

 

“It looks like its game over Lupin. I’ll give you some credit, you put up a good fight. However, no one escapes Freddy’s. Now, be a good little doggy and join your friends.” Avery ordered mockingly.

 

Remus hesitated. If he tried a patronus, he’d be left vulnerable to an attack from Avery. If he did nothing, his friends might be killed. Either way, someone would likely die. It was a lose-lose situation and the Death Eater knew it.

 

“Tick-tock Lupin. What’s it gonna be?” Avery goaded, raising his blackthorn wand challengingly.

 

Remus mulled over his options for a second more before clutching his wand determinedly. In the blink of an eyes he fired a stunner at Davis, swung around a called forth his patronus.

 

Three things happened in that moment. Avery blocked the spell and fired a killing curse in Remus’ direction. The wolf made of light sprinted at the animatronics; running into two of them before disappearing and allowing Tonks and Kingsley to break free of their captors hold. And Freddy, who was just entering the backstage, was sent flying to the floor by an unseen force.

 

Before anyone could react further, a body crashed into Moony from behind and the two hit the tiles just a mere second before the killing curse could strike. The stunned man rolled onto his back to see who his saviour was and couldn’t believe his eyes. Standing above him was none other then Scott Cawthon.

 

“No! You will NOT mess things up for me Cawthon! You are supposed to be on my side!” Avery raged.

 

Cawthon glared at the man, his usually nervous persona gone. “Not anymore. We’re putting a stop to this. NOW!”

 

With those words, everything changed.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Sirius gaped as he watched Freddy be thrown back. That in itself was something he would have thought impossible. What was more surprising though was who, or what, had done it. Before them stood the most creepiest puppet Sirius had ever seen. It was tall and lanky with broken strings dragging along the floor behind it. Its white face held a pair of pitch black eyes, rosy cheeks, red lips and two purple streaks going down from its eyes. It reminded Sirius of tear tracks.

 

The puppets white striped, black body turned to face the recovering Bonnie and Golden Freddy. When the children’s spirits regained their bearings, they went straight back to the animatronics and tried to grab the two wizards again. Tonks was ready for this and fired another patronus while the puppet grabbed Golden Freddy and shoved the bear away.

 

Kingsley’s cat patronus flung itself at Chica, giving Sirius the chance to jump back into the action. What he saw astonished him. He heard a voice scream “NOW!” and then the room was filled with, not only the animatronics and his companions, but several spirits as well. The former night guards were attempting to hold back the towering robots. _Looks like Springtrap’s influence wasn’t as powerful as he might have thought._

 

Searching for Remus now that the fight seemed more even, he found his best friend racing towards him. “Moony! You okay?”

 

Remus nodded. “Yeah but Avery took off. I think he went to the Security Office.”

 

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get him and get out of here!” Tonks called as she and her mentor reached their side.

 

“Yeah. I don’t know how long the spirits can deal with the Fazbear Gang for us. We need to catch him while we have the chance.” Sirius agreed.

 

The four took off down the hall, skirting around the female night guard they’d seen the other night and Foxy. When they reached the office they found it empty. Cursing, Sirius shifted into Padfoot and bolted out into the East Hall. A loud growl and flash of blue light confirmed that he’d found the runaway.

 

They ran into the hall to find Sirius immobilised and a blasting hex headed straight their way. Kingsley blocked it and ran after Avery while Tonks went to help the whining dog on the floor. That left Remus to listen for any potential threats headed for them. The noise in the Dinning Area had died down, not that he was surprised. The spirits had helped but they could only do so much. That means that the animatronics were likely on the move again….

 

 _That’s it!_ He raced after Kingsley, an idea forming in his mind. He grabbed the Auror’s robe sleeve, stopping him from reaching the Dinning Area. “Kingsley, wait! Let him go.”

 

“What?” the two cousins hissed at him from behind.

 

“Why the fuck should we do that?” Padfoot added savagely.

 

“Get out of my way you worthless hunks of junk! They’re down there!” Avery’s voice commanded from the other room.

 

Remus grinned. “That’s why. Remember he said that he never really had any control over the animatronics? Only Afton seemed to be capable of doing that.”

 

Kingsley nodded slowly, catching on. “If they come across Avery now, they’ll see him as one of us.”

 

“Yes,” the werewolf replied. “They’re going after anyone here after hours. It sounds to me like Avery has overestimated how much control he has over the situation.”

 

A small explosion rocked the building before any more could be said. They exchanged a look before all four crept towards the Dinning Area, not wanting to be spotted by the robots. They saw all five animatronics and the puppet lined up together, facing a distressed and infuriated Avery. Nearby, several of the spirits had congregated. Much to their surprise and intrigue, they saw Harry amongst them for the first time that night. Remus was secretly relieved; glad his attack with the patronus charm the previous night hadn’t hurt Harry too badly.

 

Freddy lumbered forward, electric blue eyes fixed on the shaking man while the rest of the bots blocked all but one means of escape.

 

“You can’t do this to me! I protected you! I gave you more night guards to hunt down. I made sure no one found out about this place. They would have destroyed you if they knew! You work for me!” he hollered but Freddy either didn’t understand or didn’t care for the pleas thrown at him. The ghostly figures watched on passively from the side.

 

“Stop them! I order you, get them away from me! I-I’ll do anything!” he begged but Harry and the others remained stoic. The only hint of emotion being the amused grins each held on their mangled faces.

 

Avery realised pretty quickly no one was going to help him and he backed up. Bumping into the backstage door, the desperate manager shoved the door fully open and ran inside. The animatronics made to follow but the spirits beat him to it. They all seemed to disappear but Avery screams of “Get out of my way!”, “Leave me alone!” and “HELP!” gave the four a good idea as to where they went.

 

They waited until the animatronics had moved in before racing to the door. Peering inside, the sight before them was nothing short of chaotic. The spirits had gone again; the strain of the previous fight obviously taking its toll. Freddy and the others had spread out, guarding every possible escape and closing in on the frantically shouting person before them. Bonnie was even dragging an empty Chica costume behind him, while the chicken herself held the mask. The puppet stood in the corner; not participating but seemingly ready to jump in at a moments notice.

 

Avery backed up into a corner where a pile of old rags lay. “P-P-Please! Have mercy! I-I swear I didn’t mean it! Honest!”

 

Not one of the bots made a move to back down.

 

Avery frantically searched for a way out. He dived past Freddy and into the back area. They lost sight of him but could still hear his deranged laughter. “Huh! This worked for Afton. Why shouldn’t it work for me?”

 

Kingsley and Tonks looked at Sirius and Remus questioningly but they shrugged, unsure of what was going on. The animatronics were blocking their view now. Sirius looked at them before huffing. He stepped past Tonks and started to walk into the room.

 

Kingsley tried to tug him back. “What are you doing Sirius? Get back here!”

 

Sirius shook his head. “No, I need to know what’s going on.”

 

…………………………………………………………

 

The canine animagus snuck up behind Foxy. He half expected the fox to swing around and bite him. Instead it would seem that the bots were too focused on Avery to take notice. Being careful not to bump into any of the furries, Padfoot finally managed to get a clear view of what was going on. _He can’t be serious…_

 

Avery stood their, holding up an unfamiliar animatronic suit. It was probably once a ginger tabby cat but now the suit looked more like a dark brown from the years of dirt and dust. In all their research they had never heard of a cat animatronic before. Sirius assumed that either the records had been lost or the suit was never used. Avery began to cackle manically. It reminded him uneasily of his least favourite cousin, Bellatrix.

 

“You stupid kids won’t recognise me in this! Not through the eyes of the bots. I’m not going to die, not today.” He quickly began to climb into the suit. Freddy paused as did the others. The only one who didn’t seem confused was the Puppet. It pulled away from its spot leant against the wall and walked over. The puppet stared at the man hiding in the costume but much to Sirius surprise, it made no move to attack. It almost seemed like it was waiting for something. _But what….?_

 

“Look.” Remus whispered. Sirius jumped, not having heard the others approach. He turned to see what got his friends attention and saw the spirits were back once more. Harry, Scott and the female guard were in the lead. Avery seemed to tense before shuffling into a defensive stance; the feline animatronics purple eyes glittered tauntingly.

 

“You’re back huh? Well, what are you going to do now? It won’t be so easy to hurt me in this thing.” He mocked. Sirius watched, expecting Harry and the others to move. Instead the band of maimed spectres stood by the puppet. For a few moments no one seemed to know what to do. Golden Freddy had disappeared and Chica was also turning to leave, their target having seemingly vanished. He felt Kingsley tug him further into the shadows so they wouldn’t be seen by the retreating robotic animals. Soon Freddy, Bonnie and Foxy followed the others; the spare Chica suit lay forgotten in their wake.

 

The room fell into a loaded silence, everyone waiting to see what would happen next. Tonks, Remus, Kingsley and himself waited with baited breath for either the spirits or Avery to make a move. Avery was shuffling from foot to foot nervously. Clearly he hadn’t been anticipating the odd behaviour either.

 

“What do you want?” Avery demanded nervously, unnerved by the blank stares. He got no verbal response.

 

Then, the ghostly security guards smiled. There was nothing kind about the gestures. The smiles were full of malevolent amusement and dark promises. Finally, Harry stepped forward, twisted grin still in place. “Goodbye Avery. I hope you burn in hell.”

 

“What are yo…..AHHHHH” Sirius leapt back, crashing into Tonks as the piercing scream filled the air. They all watched in a mixture of horror and fascination as the cat animatronic fell to the floor in a withering, screeching mess. Blood seeped out of all the orifices of the costume and the sound of crunching bone and tearing flesh was almost as loud as the tortured cries of the dying man inside.

 

“A springlock suit. It was a springlock suit….” Remus muttered in disbelief. _It made sense,_ Sirius thought. _It would explain why they never used it. It must have been made just before they discontinued using the springlock animatronics._

 

The gurgling gasps eventually tapered off and everything was still. They went to see what the spirits were doing but they had vanished again, they’re job done.

 

Sirius could only think of one thing to say as he walked over to the bloody heap on the floor.

 

“Well shit.”

 

…………………………………………………………

 

The group of four sat at a table in the Dinning Area, mulling over everything that happened and assessing injuries. Sirius hadn’t had the chance to heal the bruises on his neck and didn’t take kindly to Remus offering to do so for him. He could only assume that Sirius saw them as some kind of punishment perhaps. He wanted to argue with the stubborn man that he had nothing to feel guilty for but knew that only one person could get through to him right now. Whether they would see him again? Well, that was another story entirely.

 

Kingsley had patched up most of their wounds, with only few cuts and bruises remaining. Now that they were healed, the video of the interrogation had been collected and the evidence retrieved; all that remained was to decide what to do next. “Well, its 4am and the animatronics are back on stage as they should be. I guess that means it’s over.” Kingsley started, breaking the silence.

 

Tonks nodded. “Looks like it. Well, the only thing left to do it call in a team to clean this place up and get this evidence to the investigative crew.” The witch, whose hair had changed to a modest brown amidst the tense atmosphere, picked up one pile of items, the Spring Bonnie plush included, while Kingsley grabbed the other.

 

She turned to her cousin and friend with a softer, comforting smile. “Are you two going to be okay?”

 

Remus sighed, not too surprised that Tonks had picked up on their melancholy. They should be jumping for joy right now! They did it! They freed the spirits. Harry could finally move on, see his parents. It was supposed to be a happy moment. And yet…..something just felt like it was missing. “Yeah, we just….need a few moments.”

 

The two Aurors nodded understandingly. “We’ll have the investigative team come in tomorrow. You can have the rest of the night to yourselves. We only ask that you leave the backstage rooms alone. We can’t have the evidence tampered with. I’ll place a few wards on the room, just for procedure sake.” Kingsley explained.

 

Tonks sighed sadly. “I’m really sorry about what happened. If you need to talk about it, I’m here.”

 

She quickly hugged them both before leaving with Kingsley to finish up their work.

 

Remus sighed exhaustedly, suddenly feeling double his age. While he’d been so focused on finding out the truth this past week, now that it was over the weight of everything finally settled in. Harry was dead. He would never get to see his cub again. What even happened to the spirits when they left?

 

“We should grab our stuff and go.” Sirius muttered quietly.

 

Remus stared at his friend’s tried face and mumbled a quiet okay. He got up and made his way to the office with Sirius at his heels. They grabbed everything they had with them, changing back into their ordinary clothes and, after a moments hesitation, putting the uniforms in their bags. He had a feeling the place would be closing down very soon anyway. For some odd reason it didn’t feel right to leave the outfits here.

 

They both stood in the middle of the small room, lost in their own thoughts, until a flash of light from up the hall got their attention. “Oh for the love of…..what now?” Sirius complained.

 

Remus shrugged. “Dunno, we better go check it out. In case its trouble.”

 

Sirius snorted. “With our luck, what else could it be?”

 

They both cautiously made their way back to the Dinning Area and had to do a double take. “What the hell….”

 

In the middle of the open dance area was a giant ball of white light. It was so bright they couldn’t look at it full on. “Moony, what is that?”

 

“I have no idea.” Remus whispered. He felt like he should be panicked, wary of this new development. However, for some reason, he felt safe, calm. It was almost like that light could solve all his problems if he just went to it.

 

They both stared at it, waiting to see if something would happen and then three people seemed to materialise from the light itself.

 

“Wha….?” Sirius muttered, gobsmacked.

 

The people; a blond-haired man, caramel-haired woman and an older lady with white locks; stood before them, silhouetted by the still bright light. They were spirits, that much was clear, however they weren’t like the Freddy’s spectres. There were no signs of injuries on their bodies. Their eyes were bright, almost glowing, and clear of the blankness or fury that had been evident in the orbs of the souls that wondered this place. These people seemed excited actually, as if they were waiting for something. And then…

 

“Mummy? Daddy? Grandma?”

 

“Sarah!”

 

Sirius had to jump to the side as a little girl, around 7 years old, flew past him. She wore a fluffy yellow dress, white sandals and had a light-blue ribbon in her blonde hair. Sirius gasped. “Chica!”

 

Remus nodded slowly. “Or, more rather, the girl who was possessing Chica. Sarah Hail.”

 

They watched as the little girl reunited with her family. All the rage and malice was gone and instead of a revenge-hungry spirit, they saw a little girl crying happily in her mothers arms after being separated for so many years. It was a beautiful sight.

 

Behind the Hail family more spirits began to appear. There were people of all shapes and ages. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, friends, grandparents, cousins; you name it, they were there. As they appeared, more spirits from the depths of Freddy’s began to flood the room. They recognised most as the night guards, hugging their families they hadn’t seen in so long. Others held back, waiting in the shadows at the edge of the room until someone they knew would arrive to greet them.

 

Remus could see some sad faces in the room; either because someone they wanted to see was not here or because they saw someone here they’d perhaps hoped would still be among the living. Even so, the sadness didn’t last long. The sound of crying could only be described in this case as a sound of joy.

 

Amongst the night guards here spotted a few more children rushing towards the new visitors.

 

Ryan, Freddy.

 

Cody, Golden Freddy.

 

Marcus, Foxy.

 

Dean, Bonnie.

 

He could spot each child that had suffered far more then any kid should; tearfully race into the waiting arms of their loved ones. Remus suddenly realised that this is what they had needed just as much as the people before them. Closure. Remus felt he could leave this place now at peace, knowing that the souls were going to a better place where they belonged.

 

He looked at Sirius, expecting to see a smile reflected on his friends face. However, he noticed that Sirius still looked troubled. “What’s wrong Padfoot?”

 

Instead of answering him, the black-haired male walked past him and over to the stage. Remus watched, confused as he crouched down next to something on the floor. As he got closer to them though, Remus realised what, or who, it was.

 

“Zack? Hey buddy, what’s wrong?” Sirius cooed, trying to coax the crying boy out of the corner. It had been a long time since he’d had to comfort a distraught child. Harry had been just a baby when Lily and James died. The next time they’d seen the boy, he was 13 years old. Remus suspected the only time Sirius had dealt with a child this age would have been with his younger brother. Even then, Sirius had been a child himself. Still, Remus had to hand it to him. He was doing a good job so far.

 

Zack slowly lifted his head from where it had been resting on his knees, just enough for them to see the teary blue eyes. “Are you mad at me?”

 

…………………………………………………………

 

The men reared back in shock. It was a completely unexpected question. Why would they be mad at Zack? In all honesty, Sirius felt he should be thanking him.

 

He watched Remus give the boy his most gentle smile and say calmly “Of course not Zack. Why would we be mad at you?”

 

“B-Because I did b-bad things. I d-didn’t h-help you enough.” He whimpered, looking straight up at Sirius now. The ex-fugitive looked straight into the little boy’s frightened eyes and felt his heart break for the child. How could anyone hurt this kid? He was so young, so innocent. Zack reminded him a lot of his little brother, Regulus.

 

“Zack,” Sirius murmured, settling down on the tiled floor properly. “You did help. Back there, when Springtrap had us. If you hadn’t helped us we would have been hurt, badly. Thank you for saving us. It was pretty brave.”

 

Zack gave them a tiny smile but still looked very unsure. Remus shuffled closer and asked, “What do you think you did that was bad Zack? I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think.”

 

There was a long silence but they both waited patiently for the young boy to gather his thoughts. Zack’s voice quivered as he eventually began to explain. “The evil man never wanted me around. He just l-left me alone. H-He saw me a-as weak. I d-didn’t wa-want revenge like the o-other kids. I just w-wanted to go home! I didn’t want to hu-hurt anyone.”

 

“Well, it sounds to me like you were pretty brave Zack. You did the right thing. You should be proud.” Remus tried soothingly in an attempt to comfort the distraught child.

 

“B-But I wasn’t! I wasn’t always good! I-I got m-mad sometimes. I liked my little m-music box. It kept me happy. But when it s-stopped playing I did bad things. I h-hurt people, badly. Just like the purple guy hurt me….”

 

“Music box?” Remus queried.

 

Zack sniffled but nodded. “Y-Yeah. It used to be in the p-prize corner at the o-old place. T-That’s where I always was.” He turned to his left and that was when they saw the puppet crumpled on the floor.

 

Sirius and Remus both frowned before Sirius took over. “Look Zack, sometimes bad things happen. I know a lot of terrible things happened here and a lot of people had bad things happen to them. But trust me, it wasn’t your fault. That anger? It wasn’t you. I don’t blame you. Remus doesn’t blame you. So don’t blame yourself, okay?”

 

Zack shakily dipped his head. He looked at the ground and then started to talk again. “I was so upset with myself for hurting people that I tried to stop it. When I saw the purple guy was going to hurt you I tried to help. My teacher always said hitting people was wrong but….I had to!”

 

Sirius smiled. “You did the right thing Zack. Yes, hitting people is wrong but sometimes we need to when they want to hurt us, or someone else.”

 

Zack hesitated for a second before smiling properly. Remus grinned. “See, much better?”

 

Zack hiccupped after all the crying, making all three laugh. “So, where are your parents kiddo?” Sirius asked.

 

Just like that, the atmosphere took another plunge. The black-haired youth seemed to shrink before their eyes. “They won’t be here.”

 

Sirius tilted his head, trying to think about what to say next. “What do you mean?” was all he could come up with in the end.

 

Zack backed up to the wall. “Mum and dad were like the evil man. They liked to hurt people. T-They liked to hurt m-me. So, some p-people in uniforms came and t-took me away to the orphaph-orpha…”

 

“Orphanage?” Remus helped softly.

 

“Yeah,” Zack mumbled.

 

Sirius closed his eyes sadly. Yeah, he knew what that was like. Growing up with abusive parents was horrific. No one should have to be subjected to that. He’d had Reggie at least but Zack, Zack had no one.

 

“Zack, I….”

 

He opened his eyes to find he was talking to thin air.

 

“…they sure do love to pop in an out without a warning, don’t they?”

 

Remus shook his head. “Come on, I don’t think he’ll come back just yet.”

 

Sirius cast one more sorrowful look at the spot where Zack had been before he followed Moony. They had just reached the Dinning Area again, Sirius noted that someone of the people they saw before had since disappeared, when they both stopped dead in their tracks. _Is that…? Is that really….?_

 

Sirius and Remus gaped in astonishment as two people they’d thought they would never see again stepped out of the glowing light before then. James and Lilly Potter grinned from ear to ear as they stepped closer; both looking no older then the day they last saw them. James was dressed in jeans and a simple red t-shirt while Lily wore soft-grey pants and a simple, light blue, long-sleeved blouse. Neither showed any of the signs of suffering the spirits in the pizzeria had displayed. They looked peaceful, young and happy.

 

Before either marauder could overcome their shock and run to them, both had taken off past them. They turned and blinked back tears when they saw what had caught their friends’ eyes. Harry was racing towards them from down the East Hall. With every step he took the blood faded away, bones slipped back into place and the mangled flesh repaired itself before their eyes until he looked perfectly healthy. Even the scars he had possessed before his death were gone. The only blemish that remained being the signature lighting bolt scar.

 

They couldn’t hold back the tears in the end when they saw the three Potters’ meet mid-way in a huge hug; the first hug they had shared in over fifteen years. They watched as the tears fell from the reunited families eyes as Lily tugged her son into a fierce hug while James ruffled the teen’s hair, rewarding him with a laugh from Harry and a swat on the arm from Lily. The werewolf and dog animagus were too far away to hear what was being said between the three spirits but didn’t try to get any closer. This was a private moment; something that was meant only for them. They turned away reluctantly, afraid they would disappear if they didn’t watch them, and came face to face with Scott Cawthon.

 

It was very unusual, seeing the man free of injury. He actually looked a lot younger then they had originally thought he was. _23-25 maybe?_ He was holding his cap in his hands and they had to chuckle at the sight of his messy hair.

 

Scott looked confused for a second before he realised what had them so amused. He shrugged ruefully. “Yeah, my hair has a mind of its own I swear.”

 

Sirius gestured behind him in the vague direction of the Potters. “Yeah, my friend and godson have the same issue.”

 

Scott nodded before popping the cap back on his head. “I just wanted to say thank you and that I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused….”

 

Remus waved off the apology. “It’s fine. We know you guys had no choice in the matter. Besides, you fought back in the end. If you guys hadn’t kept the animatronics at bay we would never have had time to regroup and corner Avery.”

 

Scott mumbled a vague agreement before smiling serenely, “It’s all over. That’s all I care about.”

 

Sirius reached out to clap the man’s shoulder but jumped slightly when his hand went straight through. _Spirit, right._ “I wanted to ask you something actually.”

 

Scott blinked in confusion but inclined his head in a classic ‘go on’ gesture.

 

“Harry left us some recordings on the phone in the office. He mentioned your name at one point too.” Sirius began. Scott didn’t say anything, just waited expectantly for him to finish. “Well, first off it’s our turn to say thank you for trying to help him. We really appreciate it.”

 

Scott looked down and still remained silent. Sirius wondered what he was thinking about. “I do want to ask though. How’d that work? Something just seemed so off about the whole thing. The way Harry spoke, what he said. It didn’t all fit the situation at all. It’s almost like…”

 

“…like he recorded them after he….” Scott trailed off, unable to say the word. Sirius grimaced but acknowledged the statement nonetheless. He didn’t like thinking about exactly what happened either.

 

“Well, you’re right. The messages I recorded for Harry weren’t done during my last week. And the advice Harry left for you was also not done while he was working here. It’d be too risky. You had to keep your wits about you in this place.”

 

“Then how….?” Remus enquired.

 

Scott shrugged. “I don’t exactly remember myself. It’s all a blur really. I remember some little things but other times its all blank. I do remember wanting to help. I knew Harry would be the one taking over for me and I couldn’t just allow someone that young to face this place without at least a proper warning. When I went to talk to him through the phone though, it all becomes fuzzy.”

 

Sirius stared at him perplexed, trying to figure out what happened. Remus beat him to it though. “Maybe it was Afton? He had some hold over you all then, right? Or even the kids. They were on the brink of becoming demonic themselves. It was all a game to them; albeit a twisted, sick kind of game but a game nonetheless. Perhaps they wanted you to trick us a bit, throw us off but at the same time give us some advice.”

 

Sirius thought it actually made a lot of sense. “What fun is a game if it’s over straight away? If you left us with just enough information to get through a few nights it’d be more fun for them.”

 

Scott nodded. “Makes about as much sense as everything else here.”

 

There was a pregnant pause before the young man gave them both a grateful smile. “Well, that’s all I wanted to say really. I’ll go see some of the others off before they go. Mike, Jeremy, Crystal….”

 

Sirius titled his head. “Crystal….is that the name of the female night guard we kept seeing?”

 

“Yep, she was the guard before me. Nice lady. Bit temperamental though. She actually lasted five weeks here.”

 

Sirius whistled, impressed. “We’re lucky to have survived a week.”

 

“Hey Scott, are your family here yet?” Remus jumped in.

 

Scott ducked his head, suddenly looking saddened. “Uh, no. No they aren’t. We, uh, we never really got along. As soon as I was 18 they, uh, made me leave.”

 

“That’s awful!” Sirius exclaimed. “Why’d they kick you out exactly?”

 

Scott rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “My family were all really smart and very successful; doctors, lawyers, even scientists. I was kind of the ‘black sheep’ of the family. I just didn’t live up to their expectations.”

 

Remus and Sirius frowned sympathetically. They both knew what that was like. While Remus’ parents had never outwardly shunned him for being a werewolf, they did check out a bit after the incident. They’d had high hopes for their son but now that he was infected…..well, no one wanted to hire a werewolf. As for himself, well the Black family had a very different stance on equality in the wizarding world then he did. Enough said.

 

“I was close to my little brother, Nick, at one stage. Until my parents turned him against me that is. Harry……he reminded me of Nick a lot actually.” Scott admitted. “He’s a good kid.” He finally added, glancing over their shoulders.

 

The two men turned around and saw James, Lily and Harry watching the conversation from the other side of the room. James had an arm around Harry’s shoulders while Lily had pulled her son into a side hug. The family of three seemed to be waiting for them.

 

Scott walked past them both with a wave. “I’ll leave you guys to talk. It was nice to meet you both and thanks for everything.”

 

Neither man replied as they both frantically tried to get a hold on their emotions and figure out what to say. Sirius was failing miserably and he could tell just by the hitches in his friend’s breath that he was the same. Just seeing Harry with his parents was a literal dream come true. Sirius couldn’t count the amount of times he’d wished for the image before him to be real and now that it was…

 

He was at a complete loss.

 

Before he even knew it they were standing just inches away from their long-deceased friends and Sirius’ racing mind came to a screeching halt. James, _Prongs_ , looked an odd mixture of utterly amused at their plight and completely overwhelmed with joy. Lily gave both men a teary-eyed smile full of gratitude and sadness at all they’d been through. In the end it was the youngest one there who broke the seemingly unbreakable silence.

 

Harry turned to them with a beaming smile and whispered, “thank you!”

 

Just like that the spell was shattered and Sirius could actually think clearly. He and Remus both stared in wonder at the slight echoing sound Harry’s voice held as he spoke. They assumed it must be something to do with ghosts. They’d heard it before but only now when things had calmed down did they properly notice it.

 

When his words finally registered within their minds, Remus flinched slightly while Sirius openly brushed away tears. “What for pup? We failed you! You’re-you’re…”

 

“Dead?” Harry finished for him softly with a rueful smile. Both the living males drew back as if they had been struck. Harry sighed, watching them both sympathetically. “You didn’t fail me Padfoot, Moony. Neither of you did.”

 

Remus sighed, shoulders sagging in defeat and looking much older then he was. “We did! We tried to find you but it was too late. We failed. We didn’t save you.”

 

Harry shook his head, green eyes glowing with exasperation. “But don’t you see, you _did_ save me! You set me free. You set _all_ of us free. I can’t thank you enough for that.” Harry tilted his head in contemplation before adding as an afterthought. “Great job with the patronus charms by the way. I didn’t figure that one out quick enough but I’m glad someone else did.”

 

Sirius shook his head stubbornly, refusing to forgive himself. _How could I?_ “It’s not good enough! I..”

 

“For merlin’s sakes Padfoot, shut it!” James butted in playfully but with a stern undercurrent. “You guys did everything you could. We know that, Harry knows that. Deep down, you guys know it too. You tried and that’s all we could ask for.”

 

When neither man replied, whether it be from uncertainty or because they were too shocked at hearing their best friend’s voice for the first time in over a decade no one knew, Lily stepped forward with a teary grin. “It’s like you told Harry back in his third year Remus. You did make a difference. What you two did made all the difference in the world. You might have not been able to save Harry’s life but you saved his soul. You discovered the truth and now no one else will have to suffer the same terrible fate. You set my son free so he can come with us now. That’s all that matters.”

 

Sirius stared at his shoes as he tried to hold back the sobs. Luckily Remus spoke for the both of them. “It may take some time to accept that Lily. It’s-It’s been a long week.”

 

Lily narrowed her eyes, clearly not satisfied with that reply, but otherwise let it go.

 

Sirius hesitated, wanting to say something to them that had been weighing on his mind since that fateful night all those years ago. He had the chance to now so why was it so hard to talk? He was so lost in thought that he nearly jumped out of his skin when a very cold hand rested on his shoulder. “You okay Padfoot?”

 

Sirius shakily looked his best friend, his brother, in the eyes. “James, I-I’m sorry about everything.”

 

James looked confused. “Sirius, what are you talking about?”

 

Sirius was literally shaking with remorse. “Everything! I was the one to tell you to change your Secret Keeper to that rat Wormtail. I didn’t realise quickly enough that something was wrong and I arrived too late to save you. I left Harry to get revenge when I should have stayed with him. I messed it all up. I’m a hopeless friend, a hopeless godfather. I-I…”

 

James scowled. “Enough Sirius!” The ex-fugitive shrunk back from the shouted words. James sighed, running a hand through his tangled hair. “Look, you can’t hold yourself accountable for that. Any of it. Lily and I agreed with your idea to change Secret Keepers whole-heartedly and in the end, it was our call to make. You didn’t know he was a traitor. None of us suspected Pettigrew. I will agree that yes, you should have not gone after him that night but I get why you did. You made a mistake and more then payed for it.”

 

Sirius grimaced, thinking back to those lonely, cold days in Azkaban. “If I had done the right thing though none of this would have happened.” He murmured, gesturing around them.

 

Harry stepped forward, looking him right in the eyes with a piercing glare. “Sirius, if you hadn’t beat them, we would all be trapped here forever and become something horrible; something I never want to be again.” Neither man missed the way Harry’s eyes lingered sorrowfully on the bruises on Sirius’ neck. The teen exhaled shakily, looking very much like a kicked puppy. “Sirius, I…”

 

The dog animagus cut him off firmly, already knowing what Harry was going to say and wanting none of it. “No, it’s okay Harry. I deserved that.”

 

Harry looked at him incredulously. “No Padfoot! No, you didn’t and don’t ever say that again. What I said, what I did to you; that, that wasn’t okay. I didn’t mean any of it. I-I wasn’t myself.” Harry dropped his gaze to the floor guiltily. Lily rested her hand on his back soothingly. After a second, Harry glanced back up at him. “None of it is true. You aren’t to blame. This guilt you’ve been carrying around all these years? You need to let it go…..Please Uncle Siri.” He added softly in a small, pleading voice.

 

Sirius sucked in a sharp breath. _Uncle Siri?_ The last time he’d heard Harry say that he was a 15 month old toddler. He closed his eyes as he remembered the little bundle of sunshine Harry had been then. He’d been able to light up a room with his mere presence. No matter how bad of a day he’d had, just hearing Harry’s infectious laughter had been all it took to bring a smile to his face. He looked into one pair of pleading eyes to another, stopping on his godson and finding the guilt recede ever so slightly. _I never could say no to him, the little manipulator._ He released a long-suffering sigh before smiling. “Okay. For you pup, I’ll try to forgive myself as long as you stop looking like a kicked puppy. I forgive you too.”

 

Harry laughed and nodded. “Deal.”

 

The elder Potters relaxed. “We good now Pads?” James enquired.

 

Sirius beamed. “Yeah, we’re good.”

 

Lily glanced at them before looking at Remus. He’d taken a step back to watch the exchange, knowing that Sirius needed to get that all off his chest. “Remus, I think we owe you an apology as well…”

 

Remus gave her a half-amused, half-grateful grin. “You’ve already been forgiven.”

 

After that the conversation descended into much lighter topics. No one wanted to dwell on the negatives anymore, not when they had been given this once-in-a-lifetime chance to see each other again. They talked about anything and everything they could until the sun finally started to peak over the horizon. It was the most at peace they had been in years.

 

Most of the spirits had already left by now with only a few stragglers remaining in the pizzeria. The glowing orb seemed to be growing dimmer as time went by and they all knew what it meant. Neither Sirius nor Remus wanted to be the first to admit it though.

 

Lily was the one in the end to have to cut the reunion short. “It’s time.”

 

Sirius and Remus exchanged resigned, yet no less devastated, stares. They’d known it was coming. Lily, James and Harry would have to go. Still, they didn’t have to like it.  

 

Lily, notching their grief, went to console them but stopped short when she saw something on the other side of the room. She frowned, looking very concerned, before turning to her husband and son. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

 

James and Harry shared a knowing look while the other two just seemed perplexed. Harry whispered something to James and wondered away too, leaving the remaining marauders to themselves.

 

James grinned. “I saw you named Harry a marauder and you taught him how to become an animagus.”

 

Sirius beamed, suddenly appearing years younger. “Yep! He’s a wolf animagus. I personally thought he’d be a dog but still, it’s great! His nickname is Thunder for now. We were trying to think of something better. ….”

 

James and Remus both went quiet as they listened to Sirius’ happy ranting with mirth. Remus noticed James’ absent stare after a few minutes and walked over. “Something on your mind Prongs?”

 

James gave a startled yelp as he was pulled from his musings. “Huh? Oh, yeah I’m good. I was just thinking about Harry’s nickname. I might actually have an idea….”

 

“Really? What is it?” Harry’s voice called excitedly. They turned to see Harry wondering over again with a person trailing uncertainly behind him.

 

Remus blinked in surprise. “Scott?”

 

The blue-eyed man dipped his head in greeting.

 

James looked slightly nervous as he met his son’s eyes. This was a big moment for him. To get to give Harry his marauder nickname? It had been something James had looked forward to since Harry was a baby. “Well, I was thinking Braveheart. You’ve been so strong, far more then any person your age should have to be. It just seemed to fit.”

 

Harry cried out “ I love it!” before giving James a big hug.

 

The other three all chuckled which reminded the two Potter men that they had an audience. Harry’s eyes lit up as he remembered what he was coming here to ask.

He looked at James hopefully. “Dad, can Scott stay with us? He doesn’t have anyone and….”

 

James raised a hand to stop Harry’s plead. “Calm down kiddo. Yeah, he can stay with us if he likes.”

 

Scott seemed shocked. “R-Really? I can?”

 

Prongs shrugged as if it were no big deal. “We saw everything you were trying to do for Harry. The least we could do is offer you somewhere to stay. Besides, you can never have to many friends.”

 

Scott looked slightly overwhelmed by the generous offer and only gave a shaky “Thanks” in reply.

 

“Besides Scott, you’re not the only one we’ll be taking in.”

 

Sirius, Scott and Remus all turned to see Lily wonder back over with a tiny hand clutched in her own.

 

“Zack!”

 

The young boy smiled awkwardly whilst holding on to Lily life a lifeline.

 

Harry gave him a welcoming wave and James nodded approvingly. Sirius and Remus both shared happy grins. They’d been worried about what would happen to the child. If no one came for him, would he have moved on?

 

Lily began to answer their unasked questions. “I saw the poor boy hiding under the table over there and when I went to ask him what was wrong he told me he had no where to go. I thought maybe we could give him a home. If you don’t mind Harry? James?”

 

James reached out slowly and gently ruffled the boy’s black hair, enticing a small giggle. “The more the merrier. Besides, we did always say we wanted to give Harry at least one sibling.”

 

Harry trotted over, looking pleased. “It’s fine with me. I always thought it would be cool to have a little brother. He can help me pull pranks on Dad!”

 

“Hey!” James shouted indignantly. “If that’s how you want to be, Scott can be on my side then.”

 

Scott looked slightly alarmed. “Woah, don’t get me involved in this!”

 

Lily looked at her, now extended, family with fond exasperation. “Well, its time we leave.”

 

The mock argument died down as everyone sombrely prepared to go their separate ways for what could be a very long time.

 

Zack wondered over to Scott and the two faced Sirius and Remus.

 

“Bye Sirius, Remus. Thank you.” Zack whispered, looking unsure of what to say.

 

“Goodbye Zack. You’re going to a good home, you know. I promise things will be better for you from now on.” Remus replied gently.

 

Sirius crouched down till he was eye level with his friends’ new charge. “You’re a strong kid Zack. Perhaps the strongest child I’ve ever met. Don’t forget that, okay?”

 

Zack smiled brightly and mumbled, “okay.”

 

Sirius grinned. “No more tears?”

 

Zack giggled. “No more tears!”

 

Sirius wasn’t expecting the hug. It was cold but warm at the same time. An unusual sensation. Still, he wrapped his arms around the kid in a big bear hug before letting him run back to his new family.

 

Scott rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before saying a simple “Goodbye.”

 

The two marauders copied the gesture. They’d already said what they wanted to before. As an added though, Sirius smirked cheekily and called after the retreating man’s back “See you on the flip side Cawthon?”

 

Scott burst out laughing and returned the remark before waiting with Zack to leave.

 

That left Sirius and Remus with the hardest task they’d ever faced.

 

Lily stepped forward first, hugging them both in turn. “I’m going to miss you both a lot. I never said it before but you guys are the brothers I never had. Look out for each other okay? Sirius, no more sulking. And Remus? Never be ashamed to ask for a helping hand every now and again.”

 

The two men chuckled at the light scolding. “We promise Tigerlily.”

 

The red-head blushed at the mention of the old nickname.

 

Sirius thought back on all the things he never got to say to his two friends. The words had been impossible to find before but now? Now he knew exactly what needed to be said. “You’re our sister too Lily. The first ever female Marauder, whether you like our shenanigans or not.” He added with a teasing tone. Lily laughed and nudged his arm playfully. “I was annoyed at James in 7th Year. He never wanted to pull any big pranks. He was always following you around like a lost puppy. But now, I’m glad he did. If he hadn’t, I would never have the wonderful sister I have now.”

 

“Oh Sirius,” Lily reached out and hugged him again. Every word he said was true. She’d become a big part of all their lives in those final years.

 

“You helped me through some rough times Lily. You saw the good in me when I couldn’t see it myself. You pulled me out of a dark place. Words can’t describe how grateful I am. You’re an amazing person and an even better sister.” Remus spoke, voice thick with supressed emotion.

 

Lily sobbed happily and pulled one of her best friends into a hug. She’d always felt closest to Remus out of the three other marauders. They definitely had a close brother-sister bond, even back in school.

 

Lily looked at them both for a few more seconds before backing away to allow James and Harry their farewells.

 

“So, I guess this is it mates.” James began.

 

They nodded. “We’re going to miss you James. Things haven’t been the same since you left.” Remus said sadly.

 

James looked at them both seriously. “Do me one favour guys.”

 

“Anything.” Sirius declared, voice resolute.

 

“Don’t let things go back to the way they were before. Stick together this time. Like Lily said, look out for each other. We’re the marauders, brothers in all but blood. Remember that.”

 

Remus glanced at Sirius before returning James’ serious stare. “We will. We’ll do things differently this time. Better.”

 

The three men surveyed each other for a bit before James sighed. “Okay, bring it in.” Sirius barked out a laugh before they all met in a group hug. It didn’t last long and had a bit of playful elbowing but it meant the world nonetheless. James then went to stand with Lily. It had been a short, to the point goodbye but the emotions were there all the same. They were at peace finally and all had been forgiven.

 

Finally it was just Harry left.

 

“Cub…” Remus started but found the words stuck in his throat.

 

Harry grinned, “I wasn’t lying you know.”

 

Remus blinked, confused. “About what?”

 

“You really were the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we ever had, _Professor Lupin._ ” Harry stared him down sternly. “You really should give it another go. I know you loved that job.”

 

Remus hesitated but then relented. “I’ll try.”

 

Harry nodded, satisfied. “Good.”

 

Remus returned the hug Harry gave him. He could feel Moony mournfully howl in the back of his mind; even his wolf knowing this would be the last time they ever saw their cub in this lifetime. “I’m going to miss you so much Little Wolf. I’m only sorry I didn’t try harder to get to know you over the years.”

 

Harry shook his head against his honorary uncle’s shoulder. “Better late than never Uncle Moony. Keep an eye on Padfoot. We all know what he can be like.”

 

Remus chuckled. “I will.”

 

“Oh and one more thing.” Harry said, tone changing to one he heard James use all the time in their youth.

 

Remus stared at Harry warily. “What is it?”

 

Harry smirked mischievously. “Get yourself some new robes.”

 

The werewolf burst out laughing and shoved Harry’s shoulder in light retaliation. “Okay, fine. I’ll do that.”

 

When his friend stepped back, Sirius took his place tentatively. “You know, I was the first one to hold you after you were born.”

 

Harry’s eyes widened. “Really?”

 

Sirius inclined his head. “Yep. Thought James was going to have a fit. The moment I held you in my arms I swore I’d do whatever it took to keep you safe. I didn’t live up to my promise.”

 

Harry frowned, about to no doubt rebuttal that statement but Sirius ploughed ahead before he could. “I guess I was stupid to make a promise I could never realistically keep but that’s what we do for the people we care about. Still, I’m going to make you another promise now pup. This one, I intend to keep.”

 

Harry stared at his godfather curiously. “What promise Uncle Siri?”

 

Sirius looked him dead in the eyes. “I’m going to do everything I can to make this world a better place. I know one person can’t change everything but I’m going to do my best to make sure no kid goes through what you did.”

 

Harry hugged him with teary eyes. “Thanks Padfoot.”

 

Sirius drew in a shaky breath. “I’m so very proud of you pup. I never wanted this to be your life. None of us did. However, you turned out to be a truly inspirational person. You went above and beyond anyones expectations. I wish I could take it all back, hit the redo button and try again, but I can’t. Just know this. I love you pup.”

 

Harry pulled back and gave them both the biggest smile he could. “I love you too, both of you.”

 

Sirius and Remus watched, misty-eyed, as Harry joined his family and they faced them all for the last time. “Goodbye!” the group of five called as the bright light engulfed them all.

 

“Bye….” The two remaining men whispered as they lost sight of them all and the light vanished before them.

 

They stood there for a long time, watching the motionless animatronics on the stage.

 

“You ready to go home Padfoot?” Moony asked as the sounds of the Auror squad arriving reached their ears.

 

Sirius tore his eyes away from Freddy Fazbear and nodded, feeling at peace with himself for the first time since Halloween 1981.

 

“Yeah, let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caligo = Mist in Latin
> 
> Okay, so that’s the proper ending to the story. I’ll be doing an epilogue in the next few days and then I might have a bonus chapter later. 
> 
> This is the longest thing I have ever written, 33 pages, so I hope you enjoyed it. 
> 
> I’ve been thinking of writing a piece for Call of Duty Zombies to celebrate the approaching release of Black Ops 4. It would be centred around Richtofen since he is my favourite character. Slash ideas are welcome though I have no idea how good I’d be at writing those. If you have any requests/ideas please let me know :)


	17. Epilogue – Tomorrow Is A New Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it. The final chapter. It’s been an amazing ride and I’d love to thank each and every person who has followed this story. You are all wonderful and I couldn’t be more thankful for your continued support. I won’t waste any more of your time now. I’ll blabber on at the end.
> 
> Enjoy the epilogue!

** Epilogue – Tomorrow Is A New Day **

 

31st July – Sirius and Remus

 

Riverstone was a small country town in West England. It was bordered by rolling green hills, meadows blooming with flowers of every colour under the sun and glistening streams of cool water. Small family farms were also prevalent, containing everything from fruits and vegetables to livestock and milk, cheese or wool production. The town itself was small in size but big in heart. Everyone knew each other and the residents were always happy to welcome a new neighbour.

 

It had only small corner stores, a pub and a small library. The school was from kindergarten to year 12 and consisted of only a few small buildings put together. The kids could play at the park across the dirt road during breaks. The next town over was much bigger and had everything else you could need. It was perfect and Sirius was sure Harry would have liked it here too.

 

_“We could live in the country, someplace you can see the sky…..”_

 

Sirius grinned wistfully as the memory drifted forward. Hermione had told him what Harry told her back during their third year. Harry had been right of course. Some place out in the open, one where you weren’t trapped by walls and stuck shuffling down over-crowded streets was just what he needed after those long years in prison.

 

It was late afternoon right now. People were just finishing up work or rounding up the children for dinner. Some were making their way to the pub while others leisurely made their way home. It was a warm summer’s evening with a crystal clear sky. Had this been 17-18 years ago, he would have likely been going to the pub with Lily, James and Remus for dinner and a drink. They’d laugh, tell jokes and have fun. As it was, a lot had changed since then. Now, he stood alone at the gates of Riverstone Cemetery, watching the town below.

 

Riverstone Cemetery was located just outside the main town. It was up in the hills, the sprawling green mounds dotted with headstones of many shapes and sizes. It was a very beautiful graveyard, with many trees, ponds and seats for those who visited. It was looked after by the locals regularly and always filled with cards, flowers and other gifts for the loved ones who now resided here.

 

They had planned on having Harry buried in Godric’s Hollow but had thought he would likely prefer this place; the town that would have been his home, a place of new beginnings instead of somewhere shrouded in grief and loss. Sirius also found it reassuring that from the back porch of the home he and Remus now shared, they could see Harry’s headstone, residing by a pond under the arching branches of a mighty oak tree. At night, when the moon was big and bright, they’d look up to see the white stone glow in the moonlight.

 

The spot they had chosen for Harry was truly beautiful. It was located at the top of the cemetery. The lone grave was secluded but had an amazing vantage point, allowing one who visited it to see the whole of the cemetery and town as well as far into the valleys below. Near the calm water’s edge was a patch of lilies that Remus had planted himself and an intricately carved stone bench was nestled under the tree. The two friends often found themselves sitting there. They’d thought that it’d be hard to sit there, that being in the cemetery grounds in itself should have been unsettling. However, the grieving godfathers found that it was one of the few places that they ever felt truly at peace.

 

Sirius looked down the hill with a sigh before making his way up to ‘Harry’s Spot’ as he had started to call it. As he walked up the cobblestone path, he thought back on the last few days. It had been a truly draining week. With no one to arrest and therefore, no court trial, the legal process had been quicker then expected. The Evening Prophet on the 24th July had declared Edmund Avery the mastermind behind the ‘Pizzeria Murders’ as well as wasting no time in announcing the tragic death of England’s saviour, Harry Potter. Sirius and Remus hadn’t even had the time to break the news gently to Harry’s friends before the entire Wizarding World knew.

 

The 25th of July had seen the Ministry of Magic crowded with wizards and witches all wanting to learn what had happened to The-Boy-Who-Lived. Kingsley had tried to get the attention of everyone for a solid hour before he finally was able to tell people that the details of Harry’s death would not be disclosed as per Sirius’ request. The resulting chaos had only been put to an end when an enraged and grief-stricken Hermione Granger had stood before everyone and bellowed in an outraged shout, even as tears streamed down her cheeks, that these people, who didn’t know her best friend at all, had no right to demand such things.

 

“He was my friend. Did you people know him? Did you know his favourite colour? His favourite song? Did you know what he loved to do, what his deepest fears were and what he hoped for in the future? No, you didn’t. Harry Potter wasn’t a weapon or a soldier. He was a person with friends, family, hopes and dreams. Now, if you don’t mind, the people who truly cared for him would like to grieve in peace.” She staggered off the stage, rushing into the arms of an equally devastated Ron Weasley as they both mourned the loss of their best friend.

 

Sirius had never seen so many people looking so ashamed in his life. _Good, they should be._

 

After the impromptu press conference was over Kingsley had told them that Harry had filed a will with Gringotts. The Auror had retrieved it and wanted to have it read that day. “I know its hard but its better we get all this sorted now so you don’t have to worry about it later.”

 

It had both surprised and saddened Sirius greatly that his pup had felt the need to write such a document at such a young age. However, it made sense given the circumstances.

 

The will reading was quick. Harry left almost everything to be split between Sirius and Remus, with some money going to Rom, Hermione and the rest of the Weasley’s. After that Remus and himself had had the difficult task of sorting through Harry’s belongings. Remus had found an interesting quote scribbled on a piece of paper in Harry’s photo album, next to a recent picture of Harry in his wolf form. He didn’t recognise the handwriting as being Harry’s, Hermione’s or Ron’s and had wandered who wrote it. Still, the words were interesting nonetheless.

 

Be strong enough to stand alone,

Be yourself enough to stand apart,

But be wise enough to stand together when the time comes.

 

The werewolf had pondered the quotes for a while, feeling both curious and sad as he re-read it over and over again. Harry fit the description for the first two however; his cub never did get the hang of the third line. Perhaps someone had given this to Harry to remind him that it was okay to fall back on your friends sometimes? He observed the paper with a fond smile for a little longer before placing it back next to the picture.

 

They had thrown away the clothes Harry had from the Dursley’s, choosing to keep his school uniform and Quidditch uniform as keepsakes. They took most of his other important belongings and Hedwig with them brought them all to the new house. The owl seemed to have already realised her friend was gone. The two wizards were worried about the usually spirited bird and hoped she wouldn’t follow Harry too soon.

 

The 26th and 27th had passed by in a blur as they planned the funeral for Harry. It wouldn’t be a big event; they knew Harry would hate that. It was small, simple but still meaningful and special in its own way. The only people that were invited were the members of Dumbledore’s Army, The Weaskey and Granger families, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Madame Pomfrey, Kingsley, Tonks and of course, Sirius and Remus.

 

There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as people spoke of their fondest memories of Harry. Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, Neville, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and even Madame Pomfrey all spoke about the boy who had touched so many hearts in his short time on Earth. Sirius and Remus spoke last. They’d decided to share the true story with the people here. Everyone was silent as they listened to the horrible tale, the only exception being Hagrid’s continued bawling.

 

Sirius finally reached the top of the hill, grinning slightly as he saw Remus waiting there. The werewolf was crouched down by the headstone, reading something with a sorrowful frown on his face. Sirius thought back on what Remus had told him after the funeral.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

When it was over and Harry had been finally laid to rest, people took their turns laying flowers and cards on the grave before saying their final goodbyes and leaving for the Weasley home to eat. Sniffles and sobs could be heard all around as they waited their turns. While he and Sirius waited at the back they noticed Harry’s rather unusual friend, Luna, staring cheerfully at something up in the branches of the oak. However, when they looked they found nothing there. It was odd but they decided to brush it off as Luna approached the headstone next. _People all cope with grief differently_ , the werewolf mused.

 

Remus was the last to say goodbye, patiently waiting twenty minutes for Sirius to tearfully shuffle away. The white, granite headstone Tonks had picked was gorgeous. She and Sirius had decided to do the inscription. There was a carving of a wolf, a doe and a stag running side-by-side at the top with the words “The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.”

 

Underneath the animals it read,

 

Harry James Potter

31st July 1980-12th July 1996

 

The ones who love you will never leave.

Even if there are a hundred reasons to give up,

They will find one reason to hold on.

 

The message was so true of Harry’s nature. He never gave up on anyone, no matter the odds. Even if Harry would have objected to it, many people would have done the same for him.

 

The sandy-haired wizard noticed the two pictures Sirius had left and fought back a sobbing fit. One photo was of himself, Sirius and their pup, taken during the Christmas holidays. Sirius had managed to charm red and green streaks into Harry’s hair after Harry had done the same to him, although Sirius got red and white instead. If Remus remembered correctly, Harry had said something along the lines of “Well, of course you got the white hair. It’s fitting for you old man.” Sirius had Harry in a headlock in the photo; ruffling the outraged and laughing teen’s hair whilst Remus watched them both with a mix of annoyance and amusement. It had been a good day, filled with laughter and joy.

 

The other was one of a baby Harry with his parents on the child’s first birthday. Harry had cake smeared all over his face as he giggled and clapped chocolate-coated hands. Lily was beaming at her son whilst also looking mildly exasperated at the infant’s cheeky behaviour. James looked proud, ignoring the cake Harry had managed to get all over his own shirt, as he picked up the toddler and spun him around with a laugh. _They had been so young, so carefree back then. Why did it have to change?_

 

Remus shook away the tears as he pulled out a statue from his pocket. It was made of crystal and consisted of a stag and a doe nuzzling a young fawn. Remus enchanted the beautiful, animated statue to attach itself to the top of the headstone. The sunlight reflected off the crystal, making it glow every colour of the rainbow. He remembered that Lily used to have a similar looking statue in Harry’s room, although that one was made of polished wood.

 

He watched the little deer family for a little longer as he pondered what to say. In the end though, he found there really wasn’t anything left to be said. _He already knows._ Instead, he settled on a simple but heartfelt, “I love you cub,” before he turned to leave.

 

He paused however as something else came to mind. Turning back, Remus walked up to the stone and added something else on the back. As he trekked back to the town, he stared at the words that had clearly meant something to Harry.

 

“Be strong enough to stand alone,

Be yourself enough to stand apart,

But be wise enough to stand together when the time comes.”

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Sirius sat down in the lush green grass, not saying anything. If he was honest with himself, he didn’t think he could say anything without crying. Today was his godson’s 16th birthday. They should have been celebrating with his friends. This would be the first year of his life without the threat of Voldemort hanging over his shoulders. Instead, Harry wasn’t here for the special occasion.

 

They sat there for a long time. The dog animagus had no idea who cried first but he figured it didn’t really matter. Before they knew it, they had both descended into tears. They stayed like that, lost in their own private grief for hours before finally getting up to leave as the moon hovered above.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

Remus found himself wondering as they made their way home if things would ever be normal for them after all they had been through. He recalled the events at Freddy’s, saying goodbye to their old friends and cub and the just days before funeral. _It can never be the same, but can it ever be truly okay?_

 

“Hey, I just realised something.” Sirius spoke up out of the blue, dragging the werewolf from his contemplation.

 

Remus looked at him in confusion as they stepped through the cemetery gates. “What would that be Padfoot?”

 

Sirius gave him a scandalised look, a hint of mischief in his stormy grey eyes. “We never got our paychecks!”

 

The two friends laughter could be heard all the way back in the town centre.

 

Yeah, they would be okay eventually.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

-Ten Years Later-

 

“Hurry up dad!” shouted a six-year-old boy with turquoise hair and bright green eyes.

 

Remus chuckled as he followed his son up the steep hill. “I’m coming Teddy. There’s no rush.”

 

The boy shook his head, holding up a piece of paper with an excited grin. “But dad, I want to give him my present! Do you think he’ll like it?” The child faltered, looking at the drawing with an uncertain frown.

 

Remus smiled softly, crouching down till he was eye level with his son, staring into an all too familiar pair of green eyes. Ignoring the quick pang of loss, he murmured gently, “Teddy, Harry is gonna love it. I promise.”

 

The boy’s eyes flashed to match his father’s for a split second as he beamed up at the older man. “Really?”

 

Remus chuckled, ruffling his child’s hair. “Yep, now let’s go. Uncle Sirius is probably already there.”

 

Teddy jumped up and down at the mention of his godfather’s name before running up the rest of the hill, calling a quick “Well, let’s go!” as he went. The werewolf shook his head in fond exasperation as he followed.

 

A lot had changed in the past ten years. While the pain of losing their cub had never truly gone away, the two best friends had learned to move on with their lives. Sirius had gone on to learn to become a mechanic. He loved doing physical work, something that kept you on your feet. He also spent his time advocating for children’s rights and ran a group that helped investigate allegations of child abuse and neglect.

 

Remus had gotten a job at the local library. The only other employee, who was also the boss, was a man named Robert. Remus had been worried he wouldn’t hold the job for long because of his lycanthropy. However, Robert had told him that he could have as much time off as he needed because of his ‘chronic illness’. Remus had worked there ever since. The pay was nothing spectacular but it didn’t need to be. He just liked having something to do.

 

Remus and Tonks had begun dating not long after the Freddy’s incident. They married just two years later and a little over a year after that, Tonks was pregnant. Remus had been worried he wouldn’t be a good father and terrified that the child might end up like him. Sirius had knocked some sense into him though and it turned out his fears had been for nothing. Teddy took after his mother with his shape-shifting abilities and he adored both his parents. Moony had been ecstatic to have another cub, if not even more protective this time around. In the end, finding love with Tonks and having a child of his own had been a huge step in letting go of some of that crippling grief. The small family had moved into their own home, just a few doors down from Sirius, and life had been good ever since.

 

When the father and son reached the top of the hill they found Sirius sitting at the bench with his two-year-old daughter, Laura Lily Black, on his lap. Sirius’ wife, Ruby Black, wasn’t there however it was what Remus had expected. Rue was a lovely woman but she hadn’t known Harry. She always left Sirius to himself when he came here, something the dog animagus was grateful for.

 

Sirius had met Ruby in town a few years back while he repaired her car and it hadn’t taken long before they started dating. Ruby, or ‘Rue’, had long, flowing dark red hair and striking hazel eyes. Remus had found it funny that Sirius used to laugh at how all the Potter men fell for a beautiful redhead and now Sirius had done the same. Their daughter Laura, or ‘LuLu’ as Teddy called her, had her father’s grey eyes as well as black hair that, in just the right light, had the faintest tint of red. The little girl had her mother’s pretty face and already showed plenty of signs of having her father’s mischievous nature. Remus knew she’d be a real heartbreaker with a knack for trouble when she was older.

 

“Hi Uncle Siri, hi LuLu!” Teddy called as he ran over.

 

Sirius chuckled fondly, brushing a couple strands of greying, black hair from his eyes as he stood up.

 

“Teddy!” Laura giggled, reaching out for her ‘cousin’ with a childish grin.

 

“Hi Teddy” Sirius replied, putting the wriggling toddler down so she could toddle over to the bright-haired boy. The kids sat down in the grass, Teddy excitedly showing the two-year-old his ‘masterpiece’ of a birthday gift while the girl ‘oohed’ happily at the bright colours.

 

Sirius and Remus watched the two for a while before facing each other. “Hard to believe it’s been ten years.” Remus finally broke the silence.

 

Sirius nodded stiffly. “He’d be 26 today. Can you believe it?”

 

Remus shook his head. “No, it makes me feel old. That’s for sure.”

 

Sirius slowly walked over to the headstone, briefly touching the deer statue with a fond smile, “Ron and Hermione coming?”

 

“No, they stopped by earlier today with Rose and Hugo. They had work tonight.” Remus said, pointing to the new cards and flowers on the grave.

 

“Right.”

 

Teddy ran over, his hair changing to a scruffy jet black. “Can I give Harry my present now?”

 

Remus nodded, almost overcome with emotion at the child that could have been Harry’s twin in appearance in that moment. “Of course cub. Let’s go.”

 

Teddy crouched down next to the white stone, holding up his picture proudly. “Hi Harry! Happy birthday! Are you celebrating with your parents today? I hope your having fun.” Teddy paused, thinking about what to say. “I’m going to Hogwarts next year. Can you believe it? I’m so excited! Anyway, I brought you a present.”

 

The young boy placed the drawing on the grave before pointing out the details. “It’s a picture I drew. See, there’s me and dad and mum. That’s Uncle Siri, Auntie Rue and LuLu. And that’s you!”

 

Remus crouched down next to his son, with Sirius on his other side. “That’s amazing Ted.” Sirius murmured, looking at the picture. It really was good, far beyond a normal ten-year-olds level.

 

“Pretty.” Laura cooed.

 

Sirius ruffled his daughter’s hair. “Do you want to say something, LuLu?”

 

“Hi Harry! Happy Birday” the toddler cried, stumbling over the longer word.

 

The father’s chuckled as Teddy continued to talk to Harry with Laura adding in the occasional few words.

 

Eventually the two kids wondered over to the water. Remus sat down in the grass next to the gravestone, eyes flickering over to the two kids every few seconds. “Hey cub. Happy birthday.” He stopped, contemplating what to say next. “I’m sure you’re all having a good time up there. I won’t say too much. I’m sure you’re eager to get back to the party.” Remus laughed shakily. “We miss you cub. It’s going to be hard next year. Teddy will be gone most of the time. He’s so excited though. He wants to be on the Quidditch team as a seeker. Just like you.”

 

Sirius looked amused as he glanced over at the young boy. “He’d be good at it too.” He turned back to the headstone and spoke. “Happy birthday pup. I hope you’ve been giving your old man a rough time up there. Gotta keep him on his toes with the pranks huh? Anyway, I brought Laura up here to see you this time. She loves hearing stories about you. Not the rubbish the rest of the Wizarding World tells their kids about you. She likes the real stories.”

 

Laura’s squeal of laughter interrupted them as she stood next to Teddy, both kids staring at something down in the valley. Sirius and Remus both looked amused as he went to finish what he had to say. “We’ll see you again soon pup. Say hi to your parents for us and give Zack a hug from me.” Sirius added, remembering the little boy. He wondered how he was now? _Probably being spoiled to death by Lily and corrupted into a new Marauder by James._

 

The two friends stepped back and sat down on the bench. They talked for a while as the kids played, reminiscing about the past and wondering what things may have been like had Freddy’s never happened.

 

Sadness had descended over the pair as the lights in the town turned on and the two children quieted down with yawns and drooping eyes. Sirius noticed first and sighed. “Alright kids, it’s time to go.”

 

Teddy pouted even as another yawn escaped his throat. “B-but I want to stay longer. I still have to tell Harry about my school project!”

 

Remus shook his head. “Sorry cub, you can tell Harry another time okay?”

 

Sirius went to pick up Laura but the toddler stubbornly refused, mumbling, “I walk with Teddy.”

 

Sirius laughed quietly, although it lacked the usual joy, telling Remus. “She’ll change her mind about half way down.”

 

Remus nodded with a sad smile as they both murmured goodbye to Harry and started the walk back down to the gate. As they went, Remus heard a soft noise behind him, almost like a whimper, and turned back around. He gasped in astonishment at what he saw.

 

Sirius turned to see what had caught Remus’ attention and he too let out a strangled yelp as he looked back up to Harry’s Spot. Standing beneath the oak, outlined in a brilliant golden hue by the setting sun, was a silver-and-white wolf. The magnificent creature’s fluffy coat was glowing and its emerald eyes shined with an inner light. The spectres transparent body shifted as it tossed its head back in a long, musical howl before it dashed away, over the top of the hill and out of sight. The two friends shared a smile, their previous grief wavering as they once again turned to leave.

 

It wasn’t the first time people had caught a glimpse of ‘an unusually large dog’ running around the hills. Some even claimed to have seen deer in the area, despite the absurdity of such animals living around here.

 

As they tucked their kids in that night, both friends looked out the windows of their respective homes to see three figures by the Grand Oak. They smiled, knowing that no matter what happened in the future, their family would always be watching over them.

 

…………………………………………………………

 

“Mummy, wait up!” cried a young boy; his dusty blonde hair falling into his wide blue eyes as he tried to catch up to the woman’s fast pace.

 

“Honestly Dustin, try to keep up! We’re going to be late!” the lady barked, cold brown eyes glaring out of a stern face framed by dull chocolate hair.

 

“B-But…”

 

“No ‘buts’ Dustin! Now let’s go!” She snapped.

 

The boy looked at the cracked footpath below his feet, fighting back frustrated tears. As they wondered past an alley, the child felt something odd. It was like something was calling to him. He had to see what it was. Looking up, his curious gaze fell on an old cardboard box sitting by a dumpster.

 

Checking to see where his mother was, he quickly scampered over to the box when he saw her waiting impatiently at the lights. Inside he was surprised to see an old rabbit toy. He picked it up, smiling at the feel of soft, plush fur and taking in its kind smile and bright silvery-grey eyes.

 

“Dustin! Where the hell are you? You ARE going to your father’s, you hear me?”

 

The boy jumped at the loud screech, fighting back tears until he looked at the toy. Sniffling slightly, he hugged the plush toy and whispered, “My name’s Dustin, you can call me Dusty though. Will you be my friend, Mr Bunny?”

 

He stood up and quickly ran back to his mother’s side with the rabbit. As they crossed the street, he never noticed its eyes change to a solid black.

 

_“Don’t worry Dusty. We’ll be the best of friends, forever…..”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, its over now. What did you people think? 
> 
> A few notes before we say goodbye. 
> 
> I’ve left some things a mystery for a reason. Who is Dustin? How did he manage to find Plushtrap? When did that last scene take place? Who wrote the quote found in Harry’s photo album? I’m interested to see what you guys think. I left this off the way I did because it never hurts to leave things open for a potential sequel. I doubt one will ever be written. However, you never know. 
> 
> Anyway, just to add a few things. I chose an oak tree as they symbolise courage, power and staying strong even through the toughest moments. It seems both fitting for Harry and his godfathers. Also, Riverstone is a town I made up. I like the name so I used it. I pronounce it Riv-er-sten rather than river-stone. However, feel free to say it how you like. 
> 
> I hope you have enjoyed this story. I’m considering starting a new story soon. Either it will be a Harry Potter/Twilight (with a Jasper/Harry pairing), Call of Duty Black Ops Zombies or a Harry Potter/Supernatural story. Let me know what you think. 
> 
> See you on the flipside you wonderful people!
> 
> ProngsPotter22.


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